You’ve lost a tooth and now have an important decision to make.

Which replacement method is the best one for you?

That’s what Dr. Friedman and our team at Newman Springs Dental Care are here for!

Today, we’re comparing and contrasting two popular tooth replacement options in our Lincroft, NJ practice:

A dental implant and a dental bridge.
Our blog will help you weigh the pros and cons of each so you’re one step closer to getting your smile back!

Tooth Replacement Must Happen. Here’s Why!

You certainly have options when it comes to how you replace a lost tooth, but whether or not to replace a tooth at all isn’t one of them.

There are several reasons for that:

*You’ll find yourself struggling to eat comfortably around the empty space.
*You’ll feel ashamed and embarrassed about your smile.
*It could impair your speech.
*It could lead to crooked teeth as the surrounding structures weaken around it.
*You’re at a higher risk for gum disease and other infections.
*You can ultimately lose more teeth in the future due to lost bone mass and gum tissue.

The good news is that you can replace a lost tooth easily, comfortably, and effectively at Newman Springs Dental Care.

With our technology and highly-trained staff, you have a variety of tooth replacement strategies to choose from so you’re getting the best one for your needs, goals, and budget.

How To Choose Between An Implant Or A Bridge

Weighing your options happens after you first understand what each of them are and what they do for your smile.
First, there’s the dental bridge.

This is essentially a series of three dental crowns all bonded together, the center acting as your new tooth, and the adjacent crowns being placed over your teeth on each side.
Second, there’s the dental implant.

An implant also uses a dental crown to serve as your replacement tooth, so both options result in a very strong, natural-looking restoration that will blend in with your smile.
But an implant actually goes inside your jawbone to act as your new tooth root. It’s topped with an abutment that’s used to latch the implant and crown together. This is convenient because if your crown should fail at some point, you don’t have to take the implant out to replace it.

Here are some factors you’ll want to consider as you get closer to making your decision:

*How Much Work They Are*

This is an issue of lifestyle, and fortunately, both implants and bridges are easy to maintain.

You don’t have to really change your daily oral hygiene routine because both allow you to brush and floss normally.

*How Much Each Will Cost*

While you’ll certainly save money initially with a dental bridge, you get more return on your investment with a dental implant.

That’s because, unlike a bridge, an implant becomes a part of your jaw. Once placed, it attaches to your jawbone and keeps it engaged for the lifetime of the implant. This allows continued healthy bone growth that also ensures more lasting stability of your surrounding teeth and gums.

That said, the money you spend on the front end make implants less desirable for some people because you’d have to pay for oral surgery to have it placed.
A dental bridge won’t require costly preparation and can be placed in as few as one or two appointments for adjustments and the like.

*How Long Each Might Last*

As with any dental restoration, a bridge can last a long time as long as you take proper care of your teeth and eat a healthy diet. You may get as much as a decade, or more, with a dental bridge.

But the longest-lasting replacement is a dental implant, up to twenty years or more, thanks to its biocompatible fusion with your natural jawbone.

Schedule A Consultation

In the end, you’re the one who decides which option works best for your unique situation. Naturally, you need a skilled, experienced dentist, like Dr. Friedman, to help you understand the pros and cons of each so you can make an informed decision.

Let our team at Newman Springs Dental Care help you!

Visit us soon to find out which of our replacement options will work best for you.

Call our Lincroft, NJ dental office at 732-352-3903 or fill out our online form to schedule a consultation.