If you're someone who is missing one or more teeth, you will have some good options available to you for replacement. Two of the most popular replacement options these days are dental bridges and dental implants, and you might be wondering which one would be more suitable for your circumstances. In this discussion, we'll describe the advantages of each replacement solution, so that you can discuss with your dentist and arrive at the decision which is best for you.
Dental bridges have been around for more than 4000 years, since they were actually used in ancient China to replace missing teeth. Of course, they were much simpler in those days and lacked the aesthetic appeal of modern bridges, but they were effective all the same. Having a dental bridge installed today will provide you with some considerable health benefits, for instance improving your smile, your chewing, and your speech. It will also help to retain the natural contours of your facial features, which would not be the case if you allowed the missing tooth to go un-replaced.
Once you have a dental bridge installed, it will fill in the gap from the missing tooth, and that will prevent the surrounding teeth from shifting into the gap. If this were to happen, teeth on both sides of the gap could be out of alignment, and that could cause degradation to your chewing effectiveness, your speech, and your personal appearance.
Probably the biggest single advantage of dental bridges over dental implants or any other tooth replacement solution, is its relatively inexpensive cost. If you are unable to get insurance coverage for your tooth replacement, and are forced to pay the cost out-of-pocket, your best bet may be to go with the dental bridge, simply because of its cheaper cost.