Dental Bridges vs. Dental Implants

Destrehan LA dentist office At Plantation Road Dental Care, we provide a wide range of restorative dentistry options including dental implants and dental bridges. Often, patients missing a tooth must choose between these two options. While both will effectively replace your missing tooth, there are some key differences between these two treatment options to consider. Learn more about the differences between dental bridges and dental implants below:

Dental Bridges in Destrehan, LA

Dental bridges utilize the external support of your remaining teeth to hold a prosthetic tooth in place of a missing tooth. The supporting teeth are usually topped with dental crowns to ensure their strength and stability. This is what is known as a “fixed dental bridge.” Our office also offers implant secured dental bridges for patients missing one or more consecutive teeth to help stimulate natural bone growth to reduce the patient’s risk of facial sagging. It’s important to note that traditional fixed dental bridges do not stimulate natural bone growth as the bridge hardware is fully external. Additionally, patients with traditional fixed dental bridges will need to abide by certain dietary restrictions and take additional oral hygiene precautions to ensure no food residue gets caught in or damages the bridge hardware.

Dental Implants in Destrehan, LA

Dental implants are considered the only permanent option for tooth replacement. Unlike dental bridges, dental implants involve a surgical procedure in which a titanium post is inserted beneath your soft tissues and allowed to fuse together with your jawbone. Once healed, the post will provide your restored tooth with a similar support that your tooth roots provide to your natural teeth. It’s important to note that dental implants require an extensive healing time that can take several months, while dental bridges can usually be completed within two visits to our Destrehan, LA dentist office. All this in mind, once the post is healed and a dental crown is attached to the post using an abutment, your restored tooth will blend in seamlessly with your smile. Additionally, patients who choose dental bridges do not have to worry about any dietary restrictions or oral hygiene hazards as the hardware for dental implants are protected by your own soft tissues. Despite the required length of the healing time, dental implants have an extremely high patient satisfaction rating because of the longterm benefits they provide.

Schedule An Appointment

Are you missing teeth? Do you want to learn more about your tooth replacement options in Destrehan, LA? If so, we hope you will consider visiting Plantation Road Dental Care. We are a full-service dentist office that offers comprehensive dental solutions to patients of all ages. Schedule an appointment online, and we look forward to seeing you soon.