Dental implants are different from dentures or dental bridges, although all three achieve the same goal of filling your smile with artificial teeth. However, in terms of the benefits, they bring patients, you can judge which treatment is best for you. To help you understand the differences better, we’ve compared and contrasted various elements of these treatments.

What is a Denture or Dental Bridge?

First of all, some patients may not know what dentures or dental bridges are. Dentures are typically a full arch of artificial teeth that are fixed in your smile but not permanently. An adhesive or a clip often holds them up.

Dental bridges are two to three (or more) tooth dentures. The neighboring teeth around the missing tooth area must be filed down so that the small denture can clip over them and hold them in place.

Natural Appearance

  • Dental Implants: Dental implants – even full arch dental implants are crafted with special care. We want to ensure that your permanent fixtures look and feel realistic, from the placement to the color of the teeth.
  • Dentures or Dental Bridges: Dentures and dental bridges are given the same care, but depending on the material, they may not share the same shading as the rest of your teeth. Also, dentures are only held up by an adhesive and can get tricky if they come loose in a social situation. It ruins the illusion that they set out to have.

Improved Oral Health

  • Dental Implants: When a dental implant or full arch is embedded into the jawbone, the titanium material triggers the bone to regenerate and wrap fibers around the implant. This is called osseointegration and can heal the jawbone, strengthening it as it heals.
  • Dentures or Dental Bridges: While dentures and dental bridges can also close the gaps in your smile, they are only on the surface level and do little to heal the jawbone. This could lead to jawbone depletion, which in turn could lead to even more tooth loss.

Freedom to Eat

  • Dental Implants: With dental implants, patients are not restricted too much in terms of eating. You can eat what you love once more, but do keep in mind any hard foods that could damage your dental implant. Ask your dentist about what to avoid.
  • Dentures or Dental Bridges: Studies have shown that dentures have only half the bite strength of a natural set of teeth. This can be restricted to some patients’ diet or cause a little inconvenience as they need to prepare their food differently.

Longevity and Reliability

  • Dental Implants: Osseointegration is the reason that dental implants can last so long and so reliably. With proper care and maintenance, they will never fall out and will remain so long as the bone is strong.
  • Dentures or Dental Bridges: Dentures are not permanent, and so they have a bit of a reputation for sometimes falling out during meals or speaking. Also, dentures and dental bridges eventually need to be replaced due to general wear and tear.