By: Meredith Fairbank for Dental1The days are gone when bridgework was the standard for replacing missing teeth. Along with bridges, we can bid adieu to the many difficulties associated with them. High-tech permanent dental implants continue to make great strides toward becoming the gold standard in tooth replacement.
| Reasons to choose implants over dental bridges: |
Easy care and upkeep, including flossing
Longer lasting because they do not decay
Healthy teeth need not be sacrificed
They feel like natural teeth
Greater patient satisfaction reported |
We all know someone with a bridge, but this device can pose persistent problems such as wearing down the healthy teeth that support it. This in turn requires longer bridges that will in time wear down more healthy teeth. In addition, bridges tends to make flossing difficult, a problem that can lead to further decay. Furthermore, they can unexpectedly become damaged and have you logging additional time in your dentist’s office. Even under the best circumstances, bridgework deteriorates with age and may require replacement after 5-10 years. Dental implants are becoming the tooth replacement option of choice for many people. Because they are permanently inserted into the jaw, implants are truly the next best thing to having one's own teeth. Greater satisfaction is reported for implants than for bridgework because they look and feel completely natural and are easy to care for.
The American Academy of Implant Dentistry (AAID) recommends that bridgework be replaced with permanent dental implants, particularly if problems with the bridgework develop. The advantages of implants should be considered by anyone seeking to replace missing teeth.
Today's dental implant technology includes computer-guided surgery, which has made the procedure safer, faster and more predictable than ever before. Modern dentistry now provides a 97% success rate for dental implant work. Improved technology has translated into results that are significantly better all around than they were even a few years ago. This is great news for the two out of three Americans who have at least one missing tooth.
