eastin center for cosmetic dentistry

Question of the Month: July

I'm missing a tooth and want to replace it before my bite begins to shift. What are the advantages of a dental implant compared to a bridge?

Replacing missing teeth may prevent a chain reaction of problems that can affect your entire mouth. Teeth need each other for support. When one or more teeth are lost, the biting forces on the teeth next to the space will change causing the teeth to shift. As your teeth shift an your bite changes it gets harder to chew your food. Also, your jaw joint (TMJ) may be damaged.

You can replace a missing tooth with either a bridge or a dental implant. The implant has several advantages over a bridge. Bridges are attached to the teeth on either side of the missing tooth by way of crowns. This means the teeth must be altered to place a bridge. And because the bridge teeth are connected, you are unable to floss through the bridge and food can collect under it.

By contrast replacing a tooth with a dental implant does not require alteration of the adjacent teeth and because they are not attached to the adjacent teeth you can brush and floss normally.