Is It Better To Get a Dental Implant or Bridge?

Is It Better To Get a Dental Implant or Bridge?

Is It Better To Get a Dental Implant or Bridge?

Choosing the Right Solution for Your Smile: Dental Implant or Bridge?

When faced with tooth loss, finding the right solution to restore your smile and oral function is essential. Two common options for replacing missing teeth are dental implants and bridges. At College Hill Dental Group, we understand the importance of choosing the right treatment for your individual needs. As the best dentist in Easton, PA, we offer comprehensive dental care, including dental implants and bridges, to help you achieve a healthy and beautiful smile. 

Is It Better To Get a Dental Implant or Bridge?

Understanding Dental Implants

Dental implants are titanium posts that are surgically implanted into the jawbone to replace missing tooth roots. Once placed, the implant integrates with the surrounding bone through a process called osseointegration. After the implant fully heals, we attach a dental crown to complete the restoration.

Advantages of Dental Implants

  • Permanent Solution: Dental implants last a lifetime with proper care, offering a long-term tooth replacement solution.
  • Natural Look and Feel: Implants mimic natural teeth, ensuring a seamless restoration.
  • Preserve Jawbone: Implants help preserve the jawbone and prevent bone loss, maintaining facial structure and preventing further tooth loss.
  • No Damage to Adjacent Teeth: Dental implants preserve adjacent teeth by not requiring alteration or removal.

Considerations for Dental Implants

  • Surgical Procedure: Implant placement involves oral surgery and requires sufficient bone density and healthy gums for successful integration.
  • Healing Time: The implant needs time to heal and integrate with the jawbone before the final restoration, often taking several months.
  • Cost: Although initially more expensive than bridges, dental implants offer long-term benefits that justify the cost.

Exploring Dental Bridges

Dental bridges are traditional restorations used to replace one or more missing teeth. They anchor artificial teeth (pontics) to adjacent natural teeth using dental crowns or metal frameworks.

Advantages of Dental Bridges

  • Non-Surgical Option: Bridges provide a non-surgical option for tooth replacement, suitable for patients ineligible for implants.
  • Faster Treatment Time: Bridges, unlike implants, can typically be placed within a few weeks.
  • Cost-Effective: Bridges are generally more cost-effective than implants, making them a more affordable option for some patients.

Considerations for Dental Bridges

  • Adjacent Tooth Preparation: Bridges necessitate altering adjacent teeth, potentially weakening their structure.
  • Limited Lifespan: Bridges can last with care, but implants offer a permanent solution.
  • Maintenance: Bridges require special care to clean and maintain, including flossing under the pontic to prevent plaque buildup and decay.

Choosing the Right Option for You

When deciding between dental implants and bridges, you should consider several factors, including:

  • Overall Oral Health: Your dental health dictates the best treatment option.
  • Longevity: For a lasting solution, consider dental implants.
  • Budget: Budget and insurance affect affordability.
  • Aesthetic Concerns: For a natural-looking smile, consider dental implants.
  • Treatment Preferences: Patients choose bridges for convenience or implants for long-term benefits.

Trust the Best Dentist in Easton, PA

We commit to giving you a smile that lasts a lifetime. Our team helps you choose the best option. We provide compassionate care and personalized treatment. If you’re ready to restore your smile and regain your confidence, schedule a consultation with College Hill Dental Group today. Let us help you choose the right solution for your smile and achieve the beautiful, functional smile you deserve!

Benefits of Dental Bridges

benefits of dental bridges

Benefits of Dental Bridges

Dental bridges are known to connect gaps between two teeth. If your teeth are missing, our dentists in Easton, PA, may recommend filling the gap with a dental bridge. In the article below, we explore some of the benefits of dental bridges. 

What is a Dental Bridge? 

A dental bridge consists of two crowns, one on each side of the gap. The crowns, known as the abutment teeth, are used to anchor the bridge. There is a false tooth or teeth (known as pontic teeth) between these abutments.

False teeth may be made of various materials, including porcelain, gold, alloys, or a mixture of various types of materials. They are kept in place and protected by natural teeth or implants. There are a variety of advantages to having a dental bridge. This restorative feature is a common recovery technique that repairs the esthetic aspects of a patient’s smile and the functional aspects, such as the ability to chew or talk.

At College Hill Dental Group, we use dental bridges to restore a patient’s smile in several circumstances. There are a variety of advantages to having this type of restorative dentistry. Bridges can be used simply to enhance appearance, but it can also make it easier for patients to chew food and pronounce words properly. Dental bridges can help improve the patient’s overall appearance. Bridges can also help prevent the other teeth from shifting their place in the mouth.

Porcelain Bridges 

Traditional bridges contain two crowns on each side of the missing tooth with a bridge between the crowns. Furthermore, this is the most popular form of bridge used by dentists in Easton, PA. At our dental office, we use customized porcelains, engineered into a bridge, which can be designed to eliminate spaces of every size.

Dental Bridge Procedure

There are several steps involved in the dental bridge placement, but the process is reasonably straightforward. The patient’s abutment teeth are prepared at the first consultation. In other words, the teeth on either side of the gap are reshaped such that some of the enamel is lost so that the crown can be put above them. After this part of the process is completed, a dental impression is taken, and a 3Dmodel is made. We use CAD/CAM technology to customize the bridge and crowns right here in our office. Our advanced dental technology makes this process simple and easy. Unlike traditional bridges and crowns, you won’t have to come back for a second visit. Therefore, we will place your dental bridge all within the same day. 

Advantages of Dental Bridges

  • Restores Your Smile – Dental bridges are recommended for patients who have missing teeth and would like to regain their smile. When you feel positive about your face’s appearance, you smile more often, and it increases your quality of life. This is an important factor in determining if a dental bridge is the best choice for you.
  • Improves Speech and Chewing – The ability to chew correctly and speak clearly is another significant advantage. After a patient loses a tooth or teeth, it may be difficult or painful to chew those types of food. And the pronunciation of words can suffer as well. The dental bridge will solve these problems.
  • Enhances Your Smile – If you lose a tooth, the jawbone can begin to deteriorate under the area where there is a gap. Tooth roots activate the jawbone to make bone cells. It is also necessary to ensure that the gums’ region where the tooth is missing is always stimulated.
  • Prevents Teeth from Shifting – A dental bridge will help hold your natural teeth in place. When you fill holes along your gum line with a restorative feature like a dental bridge, your other natural teeth are much less likely to drift and become loose.

Visit Our Dental Office in Easton, PA

So, if you have a missing tooth, we may be able to fix it with a dental bridge. Contact College Hill Dental Group to schedule a dental bridge consultation. From there, we will examine your smile and recommend the best restorative dentistry treatment possible. Be sure to replace your missing tooth sooner than later so dental problems don’t arise. Give us a call if you have any questions or concerns. 

New Smile for the New Year

New Smile for New Year - Easton PA Dentist

New Smile for the New Year

2020 has been a whirlwind, to say the least. As we get ready to jump into the New Year, we can’t help but set new goals and intentions. What are some of the things you want to achieve next year? Is it a promotion? Purchasing your dream car? Maybe a fitness goal? How about starting the New Year with a new smile. Below, our dentists in Easton, PA, share a few cosmetic and restorative treatments that will get you a new smile for the New Year. 

Do You Have Crooked Teeth?

If you didn’t have a chance to get braces while you were younger, now may be a perfect time. There’s absolutely no reason why you should have to go through life unhappy with your smile. There are plenty of dental treatments that can enhance your smile and hide your flaws. You may be thinking that you’re too old for braces. Some people may agree with you, but age is just a number! If you’re still not feeling intrigued to get braces, College Hill Dental group offers clear aligners. If you’re looking to straighten your smile, Dr. Moghadam will likely recommend Clear Correct or Invisalign. This orthodontic treatment allows you to straighten your smile with a series of clear, custom, removable trays. Over time, they gradually shift your teeth into the desired position. With Invisalign, you are able to remove your trays when you eat and drink. Many people choose this orthodontic treatment because it’s hardly noticeable!

Chipped or Broken Tooth?

If you’ve chipped or cracked your tooth, Dr. Moghadam may recommend dental bonding as a solution. This treatment is effective and affordable! It’s made out of composite, which is painted to your tooth and then bonded with ultraviolet light. Dental bonding restores decayed, chipped, and fractured teeth. Plus, it’s matched with your tooth’s natural color, so no one will notice!

Missing Teeth? You Need a Tooth Replacement

Dental implants are an excellent way to restore some or all missing teeth. If you avoid replacing your missing teeth, your teeth will likely shift, and you’re more likely to develop tooth decay. Dental implants allow you to replace your missing teeth by screwing an anchor into your jawbone. From there, your Easton, PA dentist will place a dental crown on top of your dental implant. This acts as a natural tooth, and the best part is you don’t have to worry about taking special care of it, unlike dentures. Dental implants can be costly, but they’re well worth the investment.

Yellow Stained Teeth

One of the first things anyone will notice about you is your smile, whether it be good or bad. Make a great first impression with your pearly whites! Dr. Lesson, a St. Pete cosmetic dentist, agrees that professional teeth whitening can do wonders for anyone’s smile. Nothing boosts your confidence like a beautiful white smile! Achieve the smile you’ve always wanted by scheduling your professional teeth whitening with College Hill Dental Group! The results are instant!

Taking steps to improve your smile is simple! Schedule a consultation with Dr. Moghadam or Dr. Walbridge online. Our staff is happy to help you achieve a new smile for the New Year. Contact College Hill Dental Group today.

Ways to Replace a Missing Tooth

ways to replace a missing tooth - College Hill Dental Group

Ways to Replace a Missing Tooth

You cannot deny the importance of a strong, healthy smile. Your teeth allow you to chew properly and speak clearly, but they can also determine your confidence. A clean, beautiful smile will fill you with confidence. So, what do you do if you are missing one or more teeth? Don’t worry, there are plenty of ways to replace a missing tooth.

An estimated 178 million Americans are missing at least one tooth. Similarly, about 40 million are missing all of their teeth. So, you’re not the only one. Although adult teeth are meant to last your entire life, they can be lost through tooth decay, gum disease, and physical trauma. It takes quite a while for tooth loss to occur through decay and gum disease. So, make sure you keep up with your regular appointments with your Easton, PA dentist at College Hill Dental Group to catch it in time. This, coupled with a thorough dental hygiene routine, will keep your teeth strong and healthy.

However, if you already have a missing tooth, here are a couple of ways Easton PA, dentists can help restore your smile:

Dental Implants for Missing Teeth

Dental implants are among the most popular treatments for tooth replacement in Easton, PA. If you are missing at least one tooth, you are a good candidate for a dental implant. The implant is a titanium cylinder or screw that is planted into your jawbone. This acts as a root for your artificial tooth. The procedure can take a couple of visits, but it can also be done in a day if your Easton, PA dentist has the required equipment. Essentially, the dentist cuts into the gum and installs the implant right into your jawbone. 

As the wound heals, the implant and jawbone will use together, providing a strong, stable base for a dental crown. The crown is a tooth-colored and tooth-shaped shell that is cemented onto the implant and acts as the new tooth. However, if your jawbone isn’t dense and wide enough to support the implant, your dentist in Easton, PA, may recommend a bone graft beforehand. Dr. O’Grady, a Denver, CO dentist, adds that an implant might not work for you if you have additional dental problems, such as gum disease. Only because it could compromise the dental implant’s success. Contact College Hill Dental Group for a consultation to see if you are a suitable candidate for dental implants.

Dental Bridges for Missing Teeth

Like implants, a dental bridge is another popular prosthetic used to replace missing teeth. However, instead of using a surgically installed implant to hold an artificial tooth in place, your cosmetic dentist in Easton, PA, will use a bridge. This is held in place by the teeth on either side of the gap to replace the missing tooth. The dental bridge is essentially an artificial tooth called a pontic, and it is propped up and held in place by the adjacent teeth, called abutment teeth. Pontics are usually made from tooth-colored materials to blend with the rest of your smile.

Bridges work best when you have strong, natural teeth on either side of the gap to support the pontic. A traditional dental bridge consists of the false tooth or teeth held in place between two dental crowns. Your dentist then cements the crowns onto each of the abutment teeth, thus ‘bridging’ the gap between your teeth without digging into your jawbone. A dental bridge will help restore your smile, your ability to chew properly and prevent your teeth from shifting. Contact College Hill Dental Group to see if you are eligible for a bridge.

Dentures for Missing Teeth

Admit it, you probably thought of dentures when the topic of missing teeth came up. Dentures have been around for a while, and the technology has improved greatly in the past couple of years. If you’ve lost most or all of your teeth, you may be a candidate for dentures. A denture is an artificial set of teeth and gums, specifically designed to fit your mouth and replace lost or removed natural teeth. There are two types of dentures.

Types of Dentures

Complete dentures replace all the teeth in the upper or lower arch of your mouth. There are two types of complete dentures:

  • Conventional dentures – Are made after teeth have been removed, and the gums have started healing, and they are usually ready to be placed 8 to 12 weeks after teeth have been removed.
  • Immediate dentures – Are made in advance and can be placed right after the teeth have been removed. These are usually considered temporary until the conventional dentures are ready for placement. 

Partial dentures are used when you still have one or more natural teeth in your upper or lower jaw. A partial denture usually consists of artificial teeth attached to a pink or gum-colored base connected to a metal framework that holds the denture in place in your mouth. It works like a bridge, where one or more artificial teeth are held in place by crowns cemented to the teeth on either side of the gap. The precision partial dentures offered at College Hill Dental Group are removable, and they have internal attachments that attach to the adjacent crowns for support.

As you can see, there are many different choices when it comes to tooth replacement options in Easton, PA. Our dentists in 18042 have been restoring smiles for years, and we would like to help you too. Contact us today for a consultation.