Dental Implants Vs. Dental Bridges

Traditionally, when a tooth was lost, the only fixed(non-removable) option for it's replacement was a dental bridge.  Under most circumstances, bridgework relies on the two teeth on either side of a space to hold a tooth(or teeth) in the middle.

A bridge continues to be an excellent method of tooth replacement; however, bridgework can have some disadvantages over dental implants:

• Bone loss will occur where a tooth is extracted.  Dental implants will tend to maintain that bone, whereas bridges will not. 
• Bridgework requires preparation of the adjacent teeth - sometimes otherwise healthy teeth need to be ground down to hold a bridge.
• Bridgework is connected to the adjacent teeth making flossing more challenging.  There are specialized floss threaders for this purpose. 
• Long term success rates of bridgework tend not to be as high as dental implant treatment.