Dental Implants versus Dental Bridges: Which is best?

If you have recently lost one or more teeth then your dentist in Harrow will have urged you to think about replacing them as soon as you can. Even the loss of a single tooth can make a difference to your dental health, and of course we are sure you don’t want to go around with a gappy smile. It is possible to replace teeth with a denture, but dental bridges and dental implants in Harrow are far more popular options. Deciding which to choose might seem tricky as both can provide very good results. However it’s likely that one choice will be more suitable for you than the other and this is something our dentist can help you decide. In the meantime, we have taken a quick look at the advantages and disadvantages of each treatment.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Dental Bridges

A dental bridge is a good choice if you want treatment completed as quickly as possible as our Harrow dentist can prepare your teeth for the bridge during one appointment and it takes just a couple of weeks or so for your bridge to be custom designed and made in our dental laboratory. It can then be fitted at your second appointment. In order to have a bridge, the teeth adjacent to the gap need to be cut down so they can be crowned and these crowns support the bridge tooth. This is a great option if these adjacent teeth are already filled or are damaged or decayed and would benefit from being crowned.

It is not so good if there is nothing wrong with these teeth, as they will always need to be protected with crowns, even if you subsequently decide to have a dental implant. Another thing to bear in mind about a bridge is that eventually it will need replacing with another bridge, which can be more expensive than only replacing an implant crown.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Dental Implants

Dental implants offer considerable benefits for your dental health and they can produce the very best aesthetic results. A dental implant post is designed to closely replicate a natural tooth root, which is an advantage as the post will provide all the stimulation your jawbone needs to remain strong and healthy, preventing bone resorption. There won’t be any need to modify potentially healthy teeth in preparation for having dental implants in Harrow and the final result should be a strong and stable tooth that looks amazingly natural.

Dental implant treatment isn’t the quickest, as each implant procedure has to be precisely planned and you do need to allow some time for the implant to heal and integrate with your jawbone before it can be fully restored with your replacement tooth. Additionally, a small surgical procedure is needed to insert the implant post. Don’t let these factors put you off as it can be worth initially spending a little extra time and money to get long-lasting results.

To discover more about the best ways to replace missing teeth, please contact Imperial Dental Care and book a consultation with our friendly dentist. You can call us on 020 8427 2264 or if you prefer you can book online at www.Imperialdentalcare.co.uk.