Missing A Tooth? You Get An Implant Or A Bridge

When you lose one of your permanent teeth you do have a couple of options beyond just walking around with a hole in your mouth for the rest of your life.

There are 2 basic options that you have, an implant or a bridge. Here is the difference between them.

Bridge: A bridge basically "bridges the gap" that was left by the missing tooth. This is accomplished by grinding down the teeth on the sides of the gap and making them into anchoring teeth (abutment teeth). Those 2 teeth are the crowned with a 3 part crown with the middle being a false tooth that closed the gap from the missing tooth.

The advantage of the bridge is that it saves you from having to have oral surgery. The disadvantage is that you have to have 2 crowns put on to teeth that really didn't need them.

Implant: A little more complex and requires some oral surgery. A post is drilled into the jawbone to hold the crown in place. Then a crown is secured on top of that.

The advantage of an implant is that you have that tooth replaced without having to get caps on the other 2 teeth. With the post, it does make it more durable. The disadvantage is that it is a lengthy process that requires multiple visits to your dentist and specialist.