Dentures vs. Bridges

Are you in the Windsor area and exploring your smile restoration options? You’ve come to the right place!

Modern dentistry provides several avenues to help patients restore their oral health and feel more confident in their appearance. In this short blog post, we’ll explore the differences between two popular and effective procedures: dentures and bridges.

Keep reading to learn more about them, and find out which dental prosthetic may work best for you!

What Are Dental Bridges?

Dental bridges are a type of prosthetic that can both replace some missing teeth and restore damaged ones, with one procedure.

They are made up of 1-3 artificial teeth in the middle, and a dental cap on each side (similar to a traditional dental crown), which serve as the anchor for the reconstruction.

What Are Dentures?

Dentures in Windsor are one of the oldest dental prosthetics around. They are designed to help patients with severe tooth loss and dental damage restore their damage.

Dentures can replace the full arch, or part of it, depending on the extent of the patient’s oral health damage. Partial dentures are anchored using the patient’s remaining natural teeth, while full dentures use the bone and gum tissue to stay in place.

The Differences Between Bridges and Dentures

Here are the major differences between these two dental prosthetics:

• Smile restoration: Dental bridges are only a good solution if you have 1-3 adjacent teeth. Dentures, on the other hand, provide a solution for patients with more extensive damage and missing teeth, as they can even replace the entire arch;
• Maintenance: Once the bridges are permanently cemented on top of the anchor teeth, caring for them requires good oral hygiene and routine dental visits, just like your natural teeth. Dentures are removable, and require more special attention to properly clean;
• Comfort: Dentures take a while to get used to. The first week is often the most uncomfortable, as you’ll need to learn how to speak and eat with your dentures on. With bridges, apart from slight tightness on the first day, you don’t have to go through this adjustment stage.

But regardless of these differences, both bridges and dentures are a long-term solution if you want natural results and a healthier smile. You can get impressive results with either one, as long as the solution meets your individual needs.

Which Procedure Is Right for Me: Dentures or Bridges?

The only way to answer this question is to see Dr. Daniel Banks or Dr. Jacob Dunham for a short consultation. Based on an oral health assessment and a talk about your smile expectations, you can access the best treatment plan for your specific needs.

To get started, schedule a consultation online.

Have more questions about dentures, bridges, or our other smile restoration methods? Then call us at (970) 460-8989 for a short chat!