Implants vs. Dental Bridges

Eating and smiling should be enjoyable activities. For many people, they are, but for many others, biting and chewing food or showing off their entire smile isn’t as simple, or as fun, as usual. When you’ve lost one or more teeth, replacing them is vital to restoring your smile’s beauty and ability to function, which is the purpose of a custom-designed dental bridge. As highly-skilled implant dentists, Dr. Maria and Dr. Thanasi Loukas usually recommend supporting a dental bridge on one or more dental implants—replacements for your lost teeth’s roots that can help your dental bridge look and function more realistically.

Constructing a Dental Bridge

The standard design for a modern dental bridge consists of a dental crown on either side of your replacement tooth (or teeth). The crowns are affixed to the teeth that border the gap, now known as abutment teeth, and once bonded in place, they can hold the dental bridge steady as you bite, chew, smile, and speak. To accommodate the supportive crowns of a bridge, abutment teeth are modified by sculpting away a small amount of enamel and dentin. Dental bridges can replace a single lost tooth, or a few lost teeth in a row. However, if you’ve lost teeth that aren’t adjacent to each other, then Dr. Loukas may recommend a different prosthesis, such as a partial denture.

Supporting a Bridge on Implants

Dental implants are prosthetic root devices that are surgically inserted into your jawbone, where the roots of your lost teeth should be. Implants are crafted from biocompatible titanium, so your jawbone fuses to their surface as it heals, and can support any number of replacement teeth, depending on your exact needs. Though conventional bridges are sturdy, their reliance on modified abutment teeth for support means that they may lose some of their sturdiness over time. By contrast, dental implants become a part of your jawbone’s anatomy, creating a permanent foundation for your dental bridge.

About Your Park Ridge Implant Dentists:

Though we can rebuild your smile if it’s compromised by cavities or gum disease, preventing such issues with improved dental hygiene can help you avoid the need for complex restorative treatment. Dr. Maria and Dr. Thanasi Loukas are highly-skilled general, restorative, and implant dentists serving the Park Ridge and surrounding Chicago communities. To schedule an appointment, call Loukas General Dentistry today at (847) 696-1919.