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If there’s one thing our patients know they can rely on from Mint Dental Clinic, it’s an honest opinion. Explore how the two popular tooth replacement options compare against each other.
It’s no secret that dental bridges are harmful to your long-term oral health, but they’re a quick and cheap tooth replacement solution, which makes them a popular choice for patients who cannot afford dental implants.
When comparing implants against dental bridges, it’s clear which treatment comes up best. Implants, for a long time, have been considered the leading cause of missing tooth replacement, and for good reason.
But the method you choose to close gaps in your mouth and replace missing teeth is up to you. A dental bridge is a traditional method and good for faster fixes, however, long-term they can cause problems, which leads patients to opt for dental implants at a later stage. However, this can be more expensive as further bone is lost during this period.
Dental implants will likely last you between 20-30 years (or a lifetime in some cases). Dental bridges on the other hand typically last around 7 years.
Implants are hailed as an innovative, modern solution for a reason. Gaps in the mouth have detrimental effects on oral health, where bone is lost in the jaw, causing tooth movement and further tooth loss.
When we place a dental implant (an artificial tooth root), it prevents a patient’s oral health from worsening as it stops the bone from depleting any further (meaning no more missing teeth).
Dental bridges have no effect on jawbone density and will encourage it to continue depleting. Another downside compared to implants is that dental bridges shift when eating and drinking – and over time can become loose-fitting, causing irritation to gums that lead to sores, infection and gum recession.
Another, very critical point in regards to oral health and dental bridges is that decay is often one of the most common complications. When patients develop tooth decay on the tooth the bridge is placed, the tooth becomes unstable and can no longer serve as the foundation for the bridge.
Good oral health and hygiene is therefore non-negotiable. Dental implants require no special care or maintenance.
Dental implants are often hailed superior because they are the closest technique to natural-looking teeth.
Dental implants usually use crowns as the final restoration, which are custom designed to blend flawlessly with existing teeth, or how you want you them to look.
Depending on the type of bridge and where you have it placed, they can look slightly faker than dental implants – but do have an overall nice natural finish. That said, bridges are not as aesthetically pleasing compare to the finish of implants.
Implant bridges are a newly popular treatment, which integrates dental implants and bridgework. For example, two implants can anchor bridgework much more firmly.
Patients look at the price of a bridge (£695) and the price of a dental implant (£2,450) and quickly make a decision based on cost.
What they might not realise at the time, is that dental bridges are not long-lasting, and will need to be replaced every five to seven years. Over a period of 30 years (how long implants can last) patients opting for bridges each time would have to pay a total of £4,170 to maintain their tooth replacement device – that’s £1,720 more expensive in the long-term.
With that said, we understand that the initial cost of dental implants might be too much for some. However, here at Mint Dental we offer financing options for implants with 0% for 12 months, and longer terms extending up to 60 months with 14.9% APR.
It’s also worth noting that patients experiencing multiple tooth loss can save money on implant-integrated treatments, like implant bridges that are more stable, secure and longer lasting (plus, not to mention cheaper).
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