How Do Dental Implants Compare to Bridges, Partials and Dentures?
Posted on October 2, 2014
Dental implant treatment is the only treatment option that preserves bone and does not compromise the long-term health of adjacent natural teeth. In addition, dental implant treatment has the best long-term prognosis of any tooth replacement option, such at tooth-supported bridges, partials, and dentures, which typically need to be replaced several times over the course of the patient’s lifetime. Also, the natural appearance of the smile is preserved with dental implant treatment, since dental implants prevent the bone resorption (deterioration) that occurs when teeth are lost or removed.
Replacing teeth with tooth-supported bridges requires cutting down the adjacent natural teeth in order to place the bridge. Partial dentures are hooked onto the adjacent teeth for support and over time this causes the teeth to become loose. In addition, partials and dentures actually accelerate the bone resorption process. This can result in collapse of the bite and the lower one-third of the face, as well as premature aging,