I have always been an avid hockey player, and my love took a bad turn one day when I got struck in the mouth with the puck. It was a painful moment that left me with two teeth knocked out of my mouth. Had I taken the right steps after the accident, I could have possibly saved the teeth, but I did not know I had that option at the time. Thankfully, I worked up the courage to visit a dentist and ask what my options for teeth-replacement were. I was worried I would would have to live the rest of my life without smiling, but I was ecstatic to learn that I was the perfect candidate for dental implants. I created this blog to help others realize that there are so many options to replace missing teeth today that no one has to "just live with" an imperfect smile!
There are multiple reasons to choose a dental implant instead of a fixed dental bridge for a single-tooth restoration. Here are a few of them.
A Dental Implant Can Help Promote Good Jawbone Health
The stimulation from the pressure received by a tooth during mastication is transferred to the bone of the jaw, where it encourages the tissue to produce additional bone cells. The constant production of new cells maintains the girth and health of the jawbone. After the loss of a tooth, the jawbone lacks the stimulation at the extraction site to maintain its healthy thickness.
The pontic of a dental bridge does not transmit pressure during chewing because the false tooth does not make contact with the jawbone. However, because a dental implant is placed in the jawbone where a natural tooth root would rest, it continues to transmit stimulation to the bone tissue.
A Dental Implant Does Not Require Damage to the Abutment Teeth
The abutment teeth are the teeth that border the gap left by a missing tooth. When a dental bridge is connected in the mouth, the bridge crowns are attached to the abutment teeth.
Before the bridge crowns can be applied to the bordering teeth, some of the tooth material must be removed from the teeth. This removal allows the bridge crowns to fit comfortably in place without significantly altering the amount of space that the abutment teeth occupied prior to the placement of the bridge.
Nevertheless, the removal of the tooth material is permanent damage to the abutment teeth. As a result, the teeth must remain covered by dental crowns.
When a dental implant is placed, the adjacent teeth do not need to be altered. Once the implant has been inserted into the jawbone and the resulting wound is fully healed, the dentist adds an abutment and crown to the implanted device to complete the restoration. The abutment teeth remain intact.
The Implant Can Remain Even if the Crown Needs to Be Replaced
After a dental implant has been used in a single-tooth restoration, the patient may still inadvertently incur damage to their teeth by biting down on a hard object or from a blow to the mouth. As long as the dental implant remains in its initial position in the jawbone, the device does not need to be replaced. If the dental crown has been damaged by a traumatic incident and the implant remains unmoved, only the crown must be replaced.
Since the crowns of a fixed bridge are actually components of the device, damage to a bridge crown generally necessitates the replacement of the entire bridge.
To learn more about implant dentistry, schedule a consultation with a dentist in your local area.
Share26 October 2021
