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Dental Bridge vs. Dental Implant

Losing a childhood tooth comes with a lot of hullabaloo. Parents and child are both ecstatic, and there’s a lot of special dinners and talk of tooth fairies and all sorts of other fun. Losing an adult tooth is a much different experience.

Instead of cheers, you’ll get looks of disappointment and sympathy. Instead of special meals, you’ll get a lot of pain as you try to chew without a tooth. Instead of money from the tooth fairy, you’ll have to try to figure out how to pay for a restoration.

Dores Dental is proud to be a Longmeadow, MA dentist office that makes restoring a missing adult tooth a piece of cake! We can help you find the best restoration available for your smile, and we can place that restoration quickly so that you get your smile back as soon as possible!

Replacement Must Happen

The bottom line thing to remember is that replacing your tooth has to happen if you want to maintain long-term dental health. Of course people walk around without all of their teeth, but the remaining teeth suffer as the jawbone begins to lose strength and the remaining teeth shift out of alignment.

Replacing your tooth should be a no-brainer, but what to replace it with can take some decision-making. We offer two primary tooth replacement options. A dental bridge and a dental implant are very different, yet they attempt to accomplish the same task: replacing a missing tooth.

When you have lost your tooth and come to see us, we will be there to help you decide which is the best restoration for your needs and goals. We’ll help you get started on that decision with the information listed below.

Dental Bridge

A dental bridge is a dental appliance made up of crowns that are connected together. The two crowns on the ends will attach to your healthy teeth on either side of the missing tooth. The crown in the middle will replace the missing tooth.

Pros: Dental bridges are very popular because they are the least expensive option. Patients are generally very happy with the way bridges look, and they tend to serve their purpose in the short-term very well.

Cons: Dental bridges do not replace the entire tooth. The tooth root is left out of the restoration process, which leaves the surrounding teeth at risk as the jaw bone support will begin to weaken. Also, bridges rely on healthy adjacent teeth for support, which means healthy teeth are losing healthy tooth enamel and being crowned in an effort to restore your smile. About 30% of those crowned teeth will have significant dental issues in the following years.

Dental Implant

A dental implant is a small titanium post that is inserted directly into your jawbone. The bone will fuse with the implant through a process called osseointegration. Once the implant and bone have healed together, a restoration (crown, bridge, denture) is attached to the top of the implant through a connector piece called an abutment.

Pros: Dental implants are permanent. They should last for the rest of your life without ever having to be removed or repaired. Dental implants have a 96% success rate! Because the restoration is resting on the implant, there is no risk to your surrounding teeth, and dental implants do not require any special care aside from your routine cleanings. Plus, dental implants look and feel so natural that there’s a very real chance you will forget you have one in your mouth!

Cons: Dental implants are more expensive than other tooth replacement options, which can make them difficult to afford for some people. Patients sometimes fear the procedure as it is oral surgery, but we offer sedation and numbing to ensure a comfortable experience.

Learn Which is Right for You!

Still not sure which restoration is the best choice for you and your smile? Contact us today to learn more about how each restoration will impact you for the rest of your life. We can’t wait to see you and help you make a decision to replace your missing tooth! Call soon!

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