Experience the advantages of a single-tooth implant over a bridge in our Brentwood office

One of the highest priorities of your dental team is to help you retain natural teeth for your lifetime. There are instances, however, when this is not possible. Teeth may have lost the support of healthy gum tissue, sustained serious damage, or have already fallen out. Regardless of the circumstance, teeth that cannot be saved should be replaced.

Historically, this was accomplished with a fixed dental bridge. A dental bridge is an appliance designed by a dentist and fabricated in a dental lab. A bridge has two crowns and an artificial tooth, or pontic. This design enables the artificial tooth to sit in the empty space, secured by the teeth adjacent, called "anchors." Supporting a bridge on two healthy teeth may seem logical, and before the development of dental implants this was the best available option. In practice, however, there are several advantages of a single-tooth Implant over a bridge.

Preserving healthy teeth in the Brentwood area

One of the obvious problems with a fixed dental bridge is that two healthy teeth must be compromised for the greater good. In order to place crowns onto anchor teeth without affecting the bite, these teeth must be shaped by grounding them down. However, if they are already weak due to cavities or other damage, reshaping and crowning them can actually be beneficial. Otherwise, physically altering teeth so that they may bear excess force for a neighbor is not desirable.

Dental implants are designed to support crowns. Because implants replicate natural tooth structure, including the missing roots, it is not necessary to rely on surrounding teeth for stability.

Preserving bone

It may seem as though a dental implant, inserted into the jawbone, would negatively impact oral structure by directing force of chewing and biting into the bone. However, this is exactly what the jawbone needs in order to remain healthy. In natural oral structure, roots extend from teeth to the jawbone, transferring pressure that is essential to bone health. Without this transfer of force, there is no stimulation to bone tissue and bone gradually breaks down.

Your reasons for replacing missing teeth with dental implants may revolve more around a desire to feel confident when you smile, laugh, eat, and speak with others. You probably want your smile to look and feel like the one you have lived with for most of your life. You want to continue eating your favorite foods, and enjoying a healthy smile without special care. Whatever the reasons for choosing implants, your skilled Brentwood dentist can help you achieve your smile and oral health goals with this excellent form of tooth replacement.

Contact Brentwood Family Dental to learn more about dental implant treatment.