East Rutherford Dental Implants Experts Compare Implants With Conventional Bridges, Part 2

By Author: Jack De Richards
Total Articles: 98
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Welcome to Part 2 of this four-part article series on the key differences between dental implants and conventional dental bridges: two of today’s most popular teeth replacement technologies. As it was explained in our previous article installment, when East Rutherford residents lose one or more of their natural teeth to any of a number of causes – be it tooth decay or accidental trauma – they face a choice of two teeth replacement solutions. The first and the one recommended by East Rutherford dental implants expert is, not surprisingly, dental implants. The other is a conventional bridge.

Picking Up Where We Left Off…

We began our comparison between these two dental technologies by highlighting the fact that dental bridges only replace the visible portion of the missing tooth structure, the crown. Dental implants replace the roots and provide a sturdy foundation for a durable and aesthetic artificial tooth crown. The first of many consequences of this is that conventional bridges don’t feel natural and can cause NJ residents quite a bit of discomfort. But the pitfalls of leaving the tooth socket ...
... without a root extend far beyond daily irritation…

Adjacent Tooth Health

“Dental implants are free-standing,” explain East Rutherford dental implants experts. “In other words, they don’t require the support of the adjacent healthy teeth in order to function like a natural tooth. Conventional bridges, on the other hand, do. In fact, bridges require the adjacent teeth to be completely filed down so that the two outer crowns on the bridge can be cemented to them.”

What does this mean?

“It means that instead of having lost one tooth to whatever it was – trauma or decay – you’re losing three, because should that bridge fail or need to be removed, you can never get those two healthy teeth back. They have already been filed down to support the bridge and, in essence, destroyed. This is why dental implants experts in NJ always recommend implants. Dental implants are free-standing and do not typically require the adjacent teeth to be damaged in order for you to get a tooth replaced.”

Perhaps the greatest pitfall of bridges is that they claim the lives of healthy teeth. Additionally, in a significant percentage of cases, the natural teeth that are used to support these restorations succumb to decay and fracture, sometimes within a decade of the bridge having been placed. Without the abuse of a bridge, they could have lasted so much longer.

Oral Hygiene and Health

“The problems typically associated with conventional bridges don’t end there, unfortunately,” say dental implants experts in NJ. “Any restorative work comes with the risk of decay, because the enamel of the natural tooth has been breached, leaving the softer and more vulnerable dentine exposed. While your dentist will do his or her very best to ensure that the margin between the natural tooth and restoration is as smooth and impervious as possible, there is still always a risk. Oral bacteria will exploit even the tiniest of hairline fractures or indentations in the tooth structure to establish vast colonies. Once they get a foothold, the tooth becomes extremely vulnerable to cavities, decay and ultimately failure.”

East Rutherford residents can combat this risk by brushing, flossing and rinsing regularly, but still… in a significant percentage of patients who have had bridges placed, problems with tooth decay and resultant bad breath are quite common. “These are important problems for patients to consider before simply opting for bridges,” advise dental implants experts in NJ.

Stay Tuned for Part 3

To read more about how dental implants compare with conventional dental bridges for the replacement of missing teeth, stay tuned for the second installment of this four-part article series.

Author Bio:

Jack De Richards works with Dental Implants Experts in NJ. In this article he shares his views on dental health and compares with East Rutherford dental implants and Conventional Bridges.