Dental Implants Offer Numerous Advantages Over Conventional Bridges

Dental implants are a conservative, cost-effective option for replacing missing teeth according to Havre de Grace oral surgeon Dr. Leonard Spector.

There are a number of disadvantages to having a single missing tooth replaced with an old-fashioned three-unit bridge:

  1. The dentist must cut down natural teeth to support a bridge.
  2. These natural teeth, once they are prepared and cut down, may require root canal therapy.
  3. The patient may have to wear a removable appliance that most people find unacceptable.
  4. It is extremely difficult for the patient to clean under a bridge. As a result, the patient is more susceptible to tooth decay and periodontal disease.
  5. Bridges need to be replaced every seven to ten years.
  6. Bridges often look like false teeth.
  7. Patients tend to get bone loss in the area around bridges.

The advantages of replacing a single missing tooth with a one dental implant are many:

  1. I regard an implant-supported tooth as a permanent tooth replacement With proper home care and regular dental visits, a dental implant can last for decades or even a lifetime.
  2. They are easy for the patient to maintain with good daily dental hygiene habits.
  3. Dental implants stimulate bone and prevent bone loss.
  4. Dental implants look, feel, and function just like natural teeth.
  5. There is a great benefit of improved appearance. A conventional bridge often looks artificial but dental implants look very natural.
  6. A person’s quality of life is enhanced because implant supported teeth are like new, natural teeth. People can eat, smile, laugh—basically go about their daily lives with complete confidence.
  7. Dental implants are a great investment in one’s health. Because they are natural looking, long-lasting, and can be easily maintained with daily hygiene and regular visits to the dentists, dental implants are much more cost-effective in the long run than bridges that cause problems and need to be replaced when they wear out.

For all these reasons, I tell my patients that dental implants are now the modern standard of care for replacing missing teeth.

Dr. Leonard Spector
www.chesapeakeimplants.dentist