Dental implants are the best replacement for old bridges

According to the American Academy of Implant Dentistry (AAID), dental bridges are difficult to clean under, often are destroyed by tooth decay, and require replacement. The American Academy of Implant Dentistry is now recommending replacement with permanent dental implants.
"Many of us have had the same bridges in our mouths for 20 years or more. They were put in at a time when bridgework was considered to be the norm for replacing missing or compromised teeth," said Olivia Palmer, D.M.D., of Charleston, SC, an associate fellow of AAID and diplomate of the American Board of Oral Implantology.
Bridges generally fail after five to 10 years because patients have trouble flossing them. "Because these bridges link missing tooth spaces to adjacent teeth, many patients find it very difficult to floss the bridge," she said. "Therefore, root surfaces below and around bridgework often decay, if not kept meticulously clean by flossing. It is difficult to repair this marginal decay, so the entire bridge must be replaced."
For most patients, implants are the best treatment alternative because they preserve the jaw bone, can be flossed like individual teeth, do not decay, and function just like natural teeth, she added. Today, highly precise computer-guided dental implant surgery has made the procedure faster, highly predicable, long-lasting, and 97% successful.
Anyone with one or more missing teeth who might consider having a bridge placed or replacing an existing bridge should weigh the benefits of dental implants before getting treatment. At Hardin Dental in Cincinnati, Ohio we give all our patients the option of implants to replace missing teeth.