Which is better, a dental implant or a bridge?

I want to start with an important statement “A bridge is no longer the standard of care”. Dental implants are the proper choice for replacement of teeth that are lost due to accident, gum disease, failed root canal or tooth decay. Properly cleaned and maintained Dental implants can last a lot longer than bridges, removable partials and dentures.

Dental implants don’t rest on your gum tissue, as a removable partial, which can lead to irritations. Removable partials also have metal clasps that sits on teeth, which could overload teeth with force, cause decay and be aesthetically challenging. Dental implants don’t require adjacent anchoring teeth (abutments) grinding and shaving like a fixed bridge. Your natural teeth are left untouched. Shaved teeth are susceptible to decay. Most of the old bridges are often replaced due to abutment teeth decay (decay under the bridge).

Financially, implants are almost the same price as a bridge. However, due to the durability of implants, they are much better economical options long term.

Finally Dental implants have a great impact on the quality of life, especially for denture wearers. No glue, no embarrassing clicking and wobbling, improved food tasting and better phonetics and speech.