Dentures vs. Implants: Which Should I Choose?
If you are missing one or more teeth, whether from an accident, tooth decay or gum disease, that not only has a negative aesthetic effect, but it also impairs your ability to chew properly, it can alter your facial features as well as your ability to speak properly, while also impacting the structure and function of other nearby teeth. The solution is to replace the missing tooth or teeth. Typically, that means, replacing the tooth with an implant, a bridge or, if there are many missing teeth, dentures.
A traditional bridge is a restoration (made of porcelain fused to metal) that requires preparing the teeth on either side of the missing tooth so that they will be the anchors for an artificial tooth that fills in the space. If your missing tooth does not have a healthy tooth on either side, this typically cannot be done. Furthermore, the gum tissue around the new “fake” tooth will lose bone tissue over time. Other negatives of a bridge: the healthy teeth on either side of the missing tooth are basically ground down for the bridge preparation. A bridge can be costly, needs to be properly cared for, including using a special flossing device called a floss threader so that you can keep the area clean, and can result in gum inflammation, especially if you don’t have good dental hygiene.
A denture can be either partial, which replaces some of the missing teeth, or complete, which replaces all the teeth. Either way, dentures rest along the gums. Adhesives are used to hold the dentures in place so that they don’t dislodge while you are eating or speaking. There are many pluses to dentures, including that they are relatively easy to prepare (no surgery or other procedures are needed) and can be ready soon after your tooth had been extracted, are affordable compared to the other methods, and if you have gum disease, you can still use dentures. On the downside, food can become trapped under the denture which would be painful. And it can take a while to become accustomed to wearing dentures as well as speaking normally. Furthermore, they wear out and will need to be replaced after five years or so, and they don’t exactly mimic the look of natural teeth.
A dental implant is a metal screw -- typically titanium -- that’s drilled into the jaw bone, allowing it to act as an anchor for a false tooth or a set of false teeth. Surgery is required with dental implants and, depending on the procedure, it can take many months for the entire dental implant to be completed. That’s because the bone in the jaw needs to fuse around the implant. People with healthy gum tissue and who can afford an implant, which is the costliest of these options, may want to consider an implant. (In the U.S., a single implant can cost up to $6,000 or so.) On the upside, it will look and feel like natural teeth and they can last a lifetime. You’ll be able to eat and speak normally.
At Smiles by Bergen Dental, Dr. Farinas-Han will work with you to help decide if dental implants are right for you. If you’re suffering from tooth loss make an appointment at Smiles by Bergen Dental at your earliest convenience to prevent any further damage to your dental health.
