Which is Best for You: A Dental Implant or a Dental Bridge?

At AlmaPolyclinic (Dubai), we understand that deciding between a dental implant and a dental bridge can be confusing. Both are effective solutions for replacing missing teeth, but each has its own set of advantages and disadvantages. To help you make an informed decision, let’s delve deeper into each procedure by examining their pros and cons.

First, let’s consider a dental bridge. Imagine a dental bridge like a meticulously crafted bridge over the Dubai Creek; it needs strong support on both sides to maintain its stability. The only way to achieve this stability effectively is to create strong anchors on either side. So, each tooth surrounding the space must be reshaped so that the anchor crowns can be cemented onto them and provide stability for that middle crown. The same principle applies if multiple teeth are being replaced, but the longer the span of the bridge, the more teeth are needed to make it stable.

When making a decision, a pros and cons list is often the best way to visualize everything. So, let’s explore the pros of a dental bridge. Number one, the bridge is fixed; it’s permanently cemented into your mouth, unlike a removable partial denture. Number two, longevity: a bridge should serve you well for several years. In fact, studies on three-unit bridges show a 15-year survival rate exceeding 90% – that’s quite dependable. Number three, timeframe: if you need a tooth replacement quickly, a bridge may be a good option. Some offices may even be able to mill them in-house, but at most, you’ll be waiting about two to three weeks for your finalized bridge. Number four, financial: often, a bridge will cost less than a dental implant, depending on the material used and the number of teeth being replaced. Additionally, sometimes insurance plans will cover part or most of the bridge.

While these pros sound great, it’s vital to consider the cons. Number one, cleanability: since the bridge teeth are connected, you can’t floss between the teeth. You have to actually floss underneath the bridge, making sure to clear all food debris and plaque. This difficulty in cleaning can create a plaque trap. Number two, each of the anchor teeth can be negatively impacted by these food traps. Since the bridge is dependent upon these anchor teeth, if any of them get decay or fail, the entire span of the bridge fails. Number three, you must consider the anchor teeth. Often, the teeth surrounding a missing tooth are perfectly healthy, so you have to consider if you are willing to reshape them completely so that they can hold onto the bridge, as that does expose them to decay in the future. The last con, often overlooked, is bone atrophy. Over the years, if there’s nothing stimulating and utilizing the bone, it begins to resorb. So, while a bridge looks like it’s replacing a tooth, what you may notice over time is that the gums and bone will start to recede. The more teeth that are missing and need to be replaced, the longer the span of the bridge. With a longer span bridge, the predictability of long-term success decreases. However, dental bridges have worked very well for many people over time. Is it the right option for you? We’ll share our thoughts on that in a little bit, but first, let’s look at the pros and cons of dental implants.

Imagine trying to mount a sculpture in Dubai Design District; you need to find a solid support structure. A dental implant is much like putting a screw into that solid support. A strong, solid jawbone is the perfect place to hang your tooth off of. Let’s take a closer look at how a dental implant works. Our dental surgeon needs to make room in the bone to accommodate the implant itself. Once the space is created, the dental implant gets screwed in. After a healing phase of about four months, your bone will grow into the implant and it will be ready for an abutment or a connector. This connector is what links the implant to the crown that gets placed once it’s healed.

Now for the pros of dental implants. Number one, the 15-year success rate of a dental implant procedure is between 95% and 97%—that’s stellar for a surgical procedure! In fact, it’s higher than the success rate for hip or knee replacement. Number two, cleanability: since a dental implant is not one big piece, but rather just one individual tooth replacement, you can treat it more or less the same way you would a natural tooth. Flossing and brushing around it is a breeze, and that tooth won’t be susceptible to cavities. Number three, a dental implant does not need to involve its neighbors to create anchors; it stands alone. If you have healthy teeth on either side, we won’t need to reshape them. If anything ever goes wrong with one of its neighboring teeth, you can take care of them individually, without affecting the dental implant, or vice versa. The last pro is that a dental implant maintains your bone volume. You won’t experience the same kind of atrophy that you would if you had a bridge since the dental implant is actually stimulating and utilizing the bone it sits in.

Alright, let’s talk about the downsides of dental implants. Really, there are only two things to consider. One, timeframe: it can take longer for a dental implant to reach its final restoration, typically about 4 to 6 months. The other thing is finances: often, a dental implant will end up costing more than a bridge. But as with anything in life, you get what you pay for. A dental implant is more involved; it’s a surgical procedure, whereas a bridge involves things that are superficial to the gum line. The implant goes in deeper and involves the bone. So, while it’s more involved, there’s definitely a lot of upside. One more thing to consider: not every provider practices the same scope of dentistry. Some may specialize in a single tooth replacement, while others may focus solely on crowns and bridges. Here at AlmaPolyclinic (Dubai), we focus on full arch restorations, replacing a whole mouth of teeth. Traditionally, this whole mouth treatment takes several months up to a year, but now it can be done in just 24 hours.

For our opinion, if it were us and we needed to replace a tooth or two and we were a candidate, we would choose an implant every time. We wouldn’t want to harm the teeth next to the space that we need to fill. We’ve definitely seen plenty of bridges that have done the job and stood the test of time, but we’ve also seen plenty of problems associated with them. Based on what we’ve seen between bridges and dental implants, implants seem like the smarter bet. Although an implant may demand more cost up front, it does seem like a better investment. If anything goes wrong with any of the surrounding teeth on a bridge, you are likely to replace all of those teeth at once. Our best advice is that you sit down with our dentists here at AlmaPolyclinic (Dubai) and discuss all of these pros and cons as they pertain to you specifically. Not everyone is a candidate for dental implants.