Implant Versus A Fixed Bridge

When a tooth is lost it is very important to replace it to decrease the chance or other teeth drifting, to maintain occlusion in that area and to keep excess biting forces off the remaining teeth. It is imperative to keep the natural occlusal (biting) balance in your mouth. If the tooth is an anterior tooth esthetics also come into play. There are many decisions that need to be made when a tooth is lost . The patient and I will discuss concerns and needs and come up with a plan. One of those decisions is to determine which is a better route..an implant or a fixed bridge.

Years ago a bridge was really all that was available and could be relied on. The teeth on either side of the lost tooth had to be trimmed down to accept a crown and the lost tooth was replaced with a center crown attached to both outside crowns. Effectively it looked like three crowns in a row where the center one spanned the empty space. A bridge is highly effective ,comfortable and looks great. The downside is the teeth on either side need to be carefully "prepped" or trimmed down. If there are already old crowns on these teeth or if the teeth are filled with old restorations (fillings) a bridge is a good idea as the outside teeth probably need new crowns anyway. It is a simple decision.

On the other hand if a lost tooth is between two healthy teeth an implant USUALLY is the better choice. In the last years implants have become the gold standard of replacing teeth lost to trauma,fracture,decay or whatever. They are conservative, esthetic and most likely will last for years . The patient will almost forget it is there. It is just like putting a new tooth where the old one was lost. It is technically challenging to place a perfect implant, but it has now become the norm..just like complex heart surgery has been simplified with "thru the vein microsurgery".

You , the patient, and I will come up with the best treatment plan to replace a lost tooth with an amazing result.