When you lose even a single tooth, the chances of you losing even more teeth increases. The teeth around the gap move, leaning into the empty space. This leads to crowding, which then makes your bite crooked, which then makes it harder to clean your teeth. You may also begin to favour the side that has more teeth, causing the teeth on that side to become worn.
That is why it is important that you replace missing teeth as quickly as possible. However, as a patient, when faced with the choice of going with a bridge or a denture to replace missing teeth, you might be unsure of which is most suitable for you. There are some notable differences between the two approaches, and knowing those differences will help you decide.
A Bridge Requires at Least Two Abutment Teeth
Dental bridges are also referred to as "fixed partial dentures". However, unlike partial dentures, dental bridges require at least two supporting teeth on either side of the missing tooth. For example, if you are missing one tooth and opt for a dental bridge as a replacement, the teeth on either side will be crowned so that those teeth can adequately support the pontic tooth in the middle.
Is this what you want? If the teeth that are to serve as the abutment teeth are in poor shape, crowning them might actually improve their appearance and function. If they are still fully intact, then a partial might be better and less costly.
A Bridge is More Difficult to Clean
Dental bridges require even more attention than your natural teeth when it comes to oral hygiene. You'll need to floss and brush around and under them in order to ensure that decay does not find its way underneath the crowns. To clean a partial denture, you simply remove it, clean it and leave it to soak overnight.
A Partial Denture Can Be Removed
Partial dentures can be removed at your convenience. A dental bridge is fixed in place. The ability to remove a partial denture would allow you to take it out whenever you smoke, or eat foods that might stain the surface of your denture. On the other hand, if you struggle to keep your denture secure, it may cause you some embarrassment if it falls out, for example.
A Partial Denture is More Versatile
When you are missing more than one tooth and those teeth are on different sides of your mouth, a partial denture can be created to replace those teeth. However, a dental bridge can only replace a row of teeth. In other words, dental bridges can replace more than one tooth as long as those teeth were once adjacent to each other.
A bridge cannot replace teeth on different sides of the mouth.
If you are looking to replace at least one missing tooth, this information should help you to decide which treatment is most appropriate for your case.
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