This four-part article series discusses the key benefits and advantages of dental implants as a replacement solution to single and multiple missing teeth.

1. This four-part article series discusses the key benefits and advantages of
dental implants as a replacement solution to single and multiple missing
teeth.
Welcome back to our four-part article series on the key benefits of dental implants. In our previous
post, Hoboken dental implants specialists explained exactly what this teeth replacement technology
is and how it works. They then provided a brief explanation of the aesthetic benefits of implants. In
this article, the second installment of the series, we shall focus on the advantages of dental implants
over the traditional approach to replacing single missing teeth: conventional bridges.

2. Key Differences Between Implants and Conventional Bridges
Both dental implants and conventional bridges can be used to replace one or more adjacent missing
teeth, but their functional concept is entirely different. Dental implants work like tooth roots, are
freestanding and are entirely supported by the underlying jawbone. Bridges consist of a string of
connected ceramic crowns, which are supported by the natural teeth bordering the gap left bare by
the missing tooth or teeth. The two outer crowns sit on the healthy teeth, which have to be filed
down to nubs in order to accommodate them, while the middle crown fits snugly in the gap. This
effectively replaces the missing tooth crown, but not its root.
Conventional Bridges: Sacrificing Healthy Teeth
“The first and most obvious problem with conventional bridges is that they sometimes require two
healthy teeth to be filed down and effectively wrecked in order to support them,” explain Hoboken
dental implant specialists. “These teeth then tend to become more vulnerable to decay over time. In
many cases, these natural teeth will end up having to be extracted.”
Conventional Bridges: Jawbone Atrophy
“The second problem is that bridges only replace the visible portion of a missing tooth. By not
replacing the root of the tooth, the underlying bone tissue comprising the tooth socket becomes re-
absorbed by the jaw and this results in a drop in bone level. Bone atrophy in the jaw can de-
stabilize the neighboring teeth, causing them to become loose.
“Dental implants, on the other hand, are supported entirely by the jawbone and replace the entire
missing tooth structure… root AND crown,” say Hoboken dental implant specialists. “Because of
this, they don’t typically damage or require the sacrifice of healthy natural teeth and they help to
prevent atrophy of the underlying bone tissue.”
Conventional Bridges: A Shorter Lifespan
Bridges typically only last between 10 and 12 years before they require replacement, whereas
dental implants can last many decades. If you look after your new teeth properly, dental implants
can last a lifetime and this is excellent value for money! Far more so than conventional bridges,
which, considering their longevity and associated challenges, actually work out to be the more
costly teeth replacement option.

3. Other Common Issues with Conventional Dental Bridges
Other problems that patients with bridges frequently complain about include:
 The fact that the bridge doesn’t feel natural and as such, it causes much self-consciousness
and discomfort. Because dental implants function like natural teeth, they offer patients are
far more comfortable and natural-feeling teeth replacement solution.
 “Bridges can lead to decay of the supporting teeth, so you’re at risk of losing additional teeth
in the long run,” say Hoboken dental implants specialists.
 Decay of the neighboring teeth can cause discomfort as well as problems such as bad breath
and a persistent bad taste in the mouth.
Stay Tuned for Part 3…
To find out why New Jersey dental implants specialists almost always recommend implants over
traditional removable dentures for the replacement of multiple missing teeth, stay tuned for the
third installment of this four-part article series.