bridge v implant

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rsswayne - 21 Feb 2007 22:06 GMT

my husband has recently had a denture for his missing front tooth but he has
been told he now has to decide if he wants a bridge or implant apart from the
cost what is the best advisable option
his teeth generally are week the other front tooth is a crown and the one
next to the gap is ok

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Mark & Steven Bornfeld - 22 Feb 2007 01:00 GMT

> my husband has recently had a denture for his missing front tooth but he has
> been told he now has to decide if he wants a bridge or implant apart from the
> cost what is the best advisable option
> his teeth generally are week the other front tooth is a crown and the one
> next to the gap is ok

What do you mean by weak? Are other teeth likely to be lost soon?
Periodontal disease?
It is easier to view this as a single tooth and there the advantages of
the implant are significant. However, if the adjacent teeth are
periodontally questionable you may need to make this decision
repeatedly, so looking ahead is best.

Steve

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Mark & Steven Bornfeld DDS
http://www.dentaltwins.com
Brooklyn, NY
718-258-5001

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Dartos - 22 Feb 2007 14:31 GMT

Yes, there are advantages and disadvantages of each treatment choice.

The part of the post that sounds strange to me is:

"he has been told he now has to decide if he wants a bridge or implant"

Why does he "now have to decide". A partial denture or 'flipper' may
not be what I would consider the best choice for replacing a front
tooth, but I would not tell a patient that it is no longer an option.

D

>> my husband has recently had a denture for his missing front tooth but
>> he has
[quoted text clipped - 12 lines]
>
> Steve

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JimSocal - 23 Feb 2007 08:53 GMT

>my husband has recently had a denture for his missing front tooth but he has
>been told he now has to decide if he wants a bridge or implant apart from the
>cost what is the best advisable option
>his teeth generally are week the other front tooth is a crown and the one
>next to the gap is ok

As a patient who did some research and talked to several dentists/oral
surgeons about the options, I would say the implant is the best option
as long as the gums and everything are healthy and there is enough
bone to put the implant in, so that the implant will likely be a
success.

I had 6 implants in 2006, and I won't lie, it was no picnic. But
having just one, would be a relative walk in the park!

Everyone I know who has a bridge doesn't like it. They're hard to
clean, they often don't fit well, or get loose after awhile, etc.. and
they get food in them, and are a general pain in the butt. Maybe I
just haven't run into anyone who had a GOOD one...?

Partial plates are super uncomfortable and many people won't or can't
tolerate them after getting them, or so I've heard.

I have a friend who got 2 implants and he's super happy with them. I
have not received my actual crowns installed on mine yet, I've only
had the surgery so far, so I don't know if I'm going to like them or
not. But from what I hear, they are generally the best option, if you
can afford it and if your jaw bone is suitable to implant them.

Just my 2 cents based on what I've heard and what I've read and
observed.

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Steven Fawks - 23 Feb 2007 13:29 GMT

> Everyone I know who has a bridge doesn't like it. They're hard to
> clean, they often don't fit well, or get loose after awhile, etc.. and
> they get food in them, and are a general pain in the butt. Maybe I
> just haven't run into anyone who had a GOOD one...?

> Partial plates are super uncomfortable and many people won't or can't
> tolerate them after getting them, or so I've heard.

You are certainly entitled to your opinion, but well made bridges
are very good prosthetic solutions in many cases. The first bridge
I made in private practice is now over 27 years old and still
functioning. No decay. No perio. It has never loosened.

Removable partial dentures are not as easy to adapt to as bridges,
but again, *if* they are well designed, well made, and properly
fitted, they are *usually* successful.

Implants do have the advantage of not being succeptable to decay,
they are usually no harder to clean than a natural tooth, and they
do not involve working on other teeth that may not need treatment.

The expense for implants is usually more and it takes a *lot* longer
for treatment to be completed. A bridge is often completed in a couple
of weeks with one episode of local anesthesia. An implant can easily
take 7 months to finish with at least two episodes of treatment
needing local anesthetic.

There is no right or wrong answer. You have picked the 'right'
treatment for you. Everyone else has to decide what is 'right'
for them.

JMO,
Steve

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JimSocal - 23 Feb 2007 18:53 GMT

>> Everyone I know who has a bridge doesn't like it. They're hard to
>> clean, they often don't fit well, or get loose after awhile, etc.. and
[quoted text clipped - 8 lines]
>I made in private practice is now over 27 years old and still
>functioning. No decay. No perio. It has never loosened.

Well, maybe the people I know who have bridges just have not had good
ones! But again, I am only stating what I have seen and heard, just an
opinion based on hearsay; I made it clear I am not a dentist.

>Removable partial dentures are not as easy to adapt to as bridges,
>but again, *if* they are well designed, well made, and properly
>fitted, they are *usually* successful.

I'm sure partials work for some people.A former dentist told me he
really did not recommend them in a case like mine - needing to cover
several missing teeth - because in his experience, "often", people did
not stay with them, they could not get used to them. He said it took a
real "committment" to hang in there with it and get used to it. Made
it sound very uncomfortable and hard to get used to. He recommended
implants even though he was not the guy going to do the implants and
in any case I told him I could not afford implants. (I could not, via
private practice!)

>Implants do have the advantage of not being succeptable to decay,
>they are usually no harder to clean than a natural tooth, and they
>do not involve working on other teeth that may not need treatment.
>
>The expense for implants is usually more and it takes a *lot* longer
>for treatment to be completed.

Don't I KNOW IT! ;-) Man, this process really gets tiresome after
awhile. Of course I have had 6 implants, in 2 sessions, 5 months
apart, with a sinus lift, so it seems like I have constant appt's with
dentist and surgeon! In reality it isn't the appointments that are so
bad, it's the RECOVERY time and pain!

>A bridge is often completed in a couple
>of weeks with one episode of local anesthesia. An implant can easily
[quoted text clipped - 4 lines]
>treatment for you. Everyone else has to decide what is 'right'
>for them.

I'm glad to hear that some people are happy with their bridges. I just
don't know of any, personally. That is, they may not "hate" them, but
find them a hassle to clean and in some cases they don't seem to fit
right and cause problems on that account.

I was just giving an opinion based on hearsay, because the op was
asking for opinions.

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