Dental Implants: The Best Option for Aging Bridges

    FORT LAUDERDALE, FL, September 25, 2008 /24-7PressRelease/ -- The American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons has reported that approximately 69% of adults have lost one or more teeth because of tooth decay, gum disease, or accident. Many of these people have bridges to replace these missing teeth; however, as these bridges age, dental implants are becoming a more feasible, attractive, and durable options for patients.

What Are Bridges?

In order to have a bridge, you must have teeth on either side of a missing tooth. To build bridges, dentists reduce the size of these surrounding teeth before creating a prosthetic that fits over these teeth and fills the gap with a false tooth. The bridge is then bonded on either side to the existing teeth.

Because bridges need to be replaced or repaired every 7 to 15 years, many people are presented with new prosthetic options for missing teeth. Among the top options are dental implants.

What Are Dental Implants?

In contrast to bridges, dental implants do not use surrounding teeth to anchor a prosthetic tooth. Instead, dental implants (which are sometimes called single-tooth implants) are standalone. To receive a dental implant, your dentist will create an implant post using a process called osseointegration, which allows the dentist to fuse titanium metal to your jawbone. After that process is complete, he or she will attach a crown to the implant post. Ultimately, dental crowns rely on the jawbone rather than on surrounding teeth for strength and support.

Which Option Is Right for Me?

Today, the choice is clear for most patients. Although bridges are the more traditional option for replacing missing teeth, they are problematic to maintain. It is difficult to clean and floss areas around the bridge, and tooth decay can result. Some patients even require longer bridges as the anchoring teeth deteriorate or become damaged.

Additionally, most believe that implants look more natural than bridges, implants better align with your natural jaw line, and they are easy to care for.

Ultimately, implants over both cosmetic and health benefits over bridges. Although implants may initially seem expensive, most patients experience long-term savings, as implants rarely need to be replaced or repaired. Even those patients who currently have bridges can take advantage of implants by having those old bridges replaced.

To get more information about dental implant options in the Fort Lauderdale area, please contact the dentists at SmilePerfect today.

# # #