Dental Implants vs. Dental Bridges

Is it better to have dental implants or a dental bridge? These are two different ways to restore missing teeth, and each has its own advantage. We have to make decisions based on individual circumstances, including the condition of the missing teeth, adjacent and opposing teeth, occlusion status, alveolar bone condition, and personal expectations for tooth restoration.

So we have listed two different types of comparison charts:

	Dental Implant	Dental Bridge
Fixed method	Relying on the osseointegration of the implant itself and the alveolar bone, there is no need to damage the adjacent teeth	Dental Bridge adjacent healthy teeth need to be ground down as fixed abutment teeth, that is, at least three teeth should be made if one tooth is missing
Treatment Time	6-12 months	1 week
Usage Time	10-20 years	5 years
Chewing Efficiency	Close to original teeth	60% of original teeth
Preoperative Preparation	Routine preoperative physical examination (blood test, electrocardiogram, imaging examination, etc.), full mouth cleaning	Full mouth cleaning and treatment of abutment problems
Patients condition	The patients are required to be relatively healthy. If the conditions such as high blood pressure, high blood sugar, and heart disease are not controlled ideally, the implantation operation cannot be performed. Severe anemia, coagulation disorders, acute infection period, hepatitis and other infectious periods need to be treated for basic diseases before implantation surgery.	Abutments are in good condition and periodontal health
Advantage	Short operation time, less trauma; no abrasion of healthy adjacent teeth; precise processing, reduce bacterial adhesion; strong retention; restoration effect is closer to natural teeth, no foreign body sensation, can prevent alveolar bone atrophy and absorption; chewing function is better than other dentures.	The treatment time is shorter; the price varies from high to low; the physical condition of the patient is lower than that of dental implants; the technical requirements of doctors are lower than that of dental implants;
Shortcoming	The cost is higher, the treatment time is longer, the requirements for the physical health of patients are higher, and the requirements for medical places and surgeons are higher.	The adjacent abutment teeth are required to be healthy, and the healthy abutment teeth need to be worn; they cannot be used for the free loss of the second molars; the abutment teeth may suffer from pain, caries on the neck of the teeth, red and swollen gums, and fracture of the abutment teeth. Alveolar bone self-resorption cannot be avoided.

Dental implants and dental bridges have their own advantages, and each person needs to decide on the corresponding treatment method according to his actual situation. It is useful to understand the advantages and disadvantages of both.

Read More