How is a dental implant a wise economic decision ?
If the choice is between a single implant restored as a single crown versus 3-unit bridge and the dentist says that both are reasonable options (meaning that each one has a high probability of success) then go with the dental implant, even if it’s a little more expensive.
Here is why.
When you replace a missing tooth with a 3-unit bridge, you have to cut down the teeth on either side of the space in order to place essentially three crowns fused together. You have turned a one-tooth problem into a three-tooth problem. On top of this, now flossing is more difficult.
Later on, if one of the two teeth decays, it is very likely the bridge will have to be replaced. It is not uncommon for the decay to have weakened the tooth to the extent that it is lost. In this way more teeth are lost over time.
On the other hand, should a tooth on either side of a dental implant have a problem, it is still a one-tooth problem, not affecting its neighbours and if there is a problem with the crown on the dental implant, it can be replaced without having to remove the dental implant.
The dental implant was engineered in such a way that the problems that might develop from chewing stresses over time (and obviously it is impossible for the implant to ever decay) will most likely affect parts that are easy to reach and replace.
Therefore, the patient will experience the economy of the dental implant in the years to come and did I tell you that the dental implant has the longest track of any restoration in dentistry? It’s well over 25 years and counting. The 3-unit bridge, on the other hand, has and average life span of about ten years.
