Bridges and Dentures

Dental bridges and dentures are both dental restorative approaches to improve your oral health and uplift your appearance. Although both dental procedures replace missing or lost teeth and upgrade people’s smiles, dental bridges and dentures are quite different from each other.

People might need to undergo the treatments like dental bridges or dentures if they have any of the following oral issues:

• One or more missing or lost teeth.
• Empty spaces between missing teeth.
• Problems while biting or chewing.

Dental bridges function to fill the gap left by lost or extracted teeth and prevent the dislocation or misalignment of surrounding teeth. A dental bridge is a permanent dental restorative procedure; once fixed, it cannot be removed. On the other hand, dentures also replace extracted or lost teeth but are removable appliances that can be taken off for cleaning purposes or while sleeping.  

Moreover, a dental bridge usually requires tooth extraction to prepare your mouth before the bridge is fitted, but tooth extraction is generally not required with the placement of dentures. Dentures are prepared according to your tooth impressions taken by your dentist.

You can acquire the best dental restorative services at our clinic, Daher Dental. We ensure to provide our clients with high-quality oral treatments that, in addition to correcting their oral disorders, last way longer without causing any problems.

Placement Procedure of Dental Bridges

The placement procedure of dental bridges is quite different and more complex than dentures and is completed in multiple steps.

1. In the first step, the dentist assesses your oral conditions through a series of X-rays, radiographs, or optical images. The dentist also reviews your medical or genetic history and your pre-existing oral problems.
2. The second step involves teeth preparation and placement of a temporary bridge. The dentist files the abutment teeth into the required shape for the bridge to be placed. Impressions of the shaped teeth are then fabricated and sent to a dental laboratory to construct the bridge.
3. The patients need to visit their dentist for a second time for the placement of temporary appliances while the dental bridge is being fabricated. Local anesthetic is usually applied at the beginning of this appointment to increase patient comfort.
4. In the final appointment, the dentist checks the suitable fit, size, and shape of the bridge before placing it. If everything is acceptable, then the dentist will place the permanent dental bridge. Before the placement, the temporary one is removed, and the underlying teeth are cleaned. The dentist uses cement in order to fix the dental bridge in place on the abutment teeth.

Placement Procedure Of Dentures

1. Just like dental bridges, in the placement procedure of dentures, the dentist first examines your mouth and evaluates your oral conditions. During the thorough oral examination, the dentist will look for any signs of infection, inflammation, tooth decay, or preexisting dental issues that can hinder the denture placement process.
2. After preparing your teeth for the placement of dentures, the dentist will take a mold of your teeth according to your precise dental measurements. This ensures that the newly fabricated dentures fit your teeth accurately. Then he will send these impressions to a dental lab to build the dentures according to the specifications.
3. In the third step, the newly fabricated dentures will be fitted into your mouth. Before placing the dentures, the dentist will make sure that the dentures fit well in your mouth and are of the exact same size so they cannot cause any problems in the future. After wearing dentures, patients might require some time to adapt to them, but after a while, dentures will start to feel and function just like natural teeth.

Dental Bridges or Dentures? How To Choose?

Dental bridges and dentures function to replace lost, extracted, or missing teeth but are quite dissimilar from each other. They are generally chosen depending on the oral conditions and preferences of patients. These dental restorative appliances are distinguished based on placement procedure, the number of teeth required to be replaced, efficiencies, costs, and lifespan.

1. The Number Of Lost Teeth

Dentures or dental bridges can be chosen depending on the number of lost or missing teeth. If you have only one or two missing teeth, a dental bridge might be a better option for you. A person with strong and healthy adjacent teeth and good bone support can be a candidate for getting dental bridges.

Dentures are typically preferred if a person has several missing teeth. Partial dentures are typically less invasive and do not require teeth extraction prior to their placement.

2. Costs

Dentures are more inexpensive than dental bridges and are a cheaper dental restorative option. Dentures generally cost around $500 to $2500, whereas the approximate costs of dental bridges are around $1000 to $5000 per tooth, which is much more than dentures.

However, dental bridges are a permanent solution to lost teeth; once cemented, they cannot be removed. On the other hand, dentures are usually removable and can be taken out for various purposes.

3. Efficiency

If an individual has one or two missing teeth, dentists generally recommend such patients should opt for dental bridges. Dental bridges prove to be more effective than dentures, and they closely mimic the form and functionality of original teeth. 

Whereas dentures prove to be a temporary solution to lost teeth because of being removable. Moreover, dentures are not recommended while sleeping, and people have to take them off before going to bed. The longevity period of dental bridges is quite more than dentures. Dental bridges with proper care and good oral hygiene routines can last more than 15 years. 

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