Restorative Dental Options: Implants vs Dentures vs Bridges

Taking the Conventional Bridge Route

Dental bridges help restore the appearance of your smile and the function of your bite. Tooth loss can spur a chain reaction in your mouth, where the remaining teeth shift, there is excessive wear and tear on the remaining teeth, and an eruption of the opposing tooth (supra-eruption), which exposes the root to decay.

A bridge can put a stop to these issues to help protect your long-term oral health but isn’t always the right fit for everyone. Following a thorough examination by one of our skilled dentists, they’ll determine if your adjacent teeth are strong and healthy enough to support a crown, the gap is a reasonable size – typically just one or two missing teeth, and if your teeth are mostly healthy with minimal decay.

Understanding Your Denture Options

There are a variety of types of dentures that we offer to patients that may be a great fit for your smile, including conventional full dentures, immediate dentures, and partial dentures:

• Conventional Full Dentures: Used when all the teeth are missing and the gums have healed (if extractions were necessary), full dentures look natural and fit more comfortably than before.
• Immediate Dentures: Immediate dentures can be placed right after extractions, without the need to wait. Since gums and bones shrink while you heal, it will be necessary to reline an immediate denture to keep it fitting properly down the road.
• Partial Dentures: A “partial” is used when you still have remaining healthy teeth. They’re used to help support an appliance and are held in place using clips that wrap around your neighbouring teeth.

Your dentures might feel loose as your cheek and tongue muscles learn to keep the prosthesis securely in place. You may also experience initial irritation or soreness in your gums, which can be alleviated through saline washes.

Dentures also need to be handled with care and brushed and soaked regularly. Over time, gum and bone tissue will shrink; the dental team may need to eventually reline or replace your dentures.

Implants as the Gold Standard

Unlike dentures or partial bridgework, they’re permanent and secure. The titanium screw of the implant, which is surgically placed into the bone, functions just like an artificial root. This is important to protect the integrity of your jawbone. It provides the entire fixed restoration with stability and security, while preventing bone loss that can occur when a missing tooth’s gap is not filled.

With bridges, you may have to have perfectly healthy teeth shaved or ground down to fit the bridge in snugly. When implants are placed, they don’t affect the surrounding teeth, in turn protecting the integrity of those teeth surrounding the implant area.

When it comes to your smile, the crown that is affixed to the titanium screw of the implant gives the appearance of a real tooth. The full system, from screw to crown, prevents teeth in the surrounding area from shifting or tipping over, protecting your bite.