Dental Implants: Is Treatment Time a Consideration?

If you are currently missing a tooth or several teeth, or you face the prospect of losing a tooth due to an extraction, chances are you’ve heard of dental implants, a technology first developed in the 1960’s by Professor Per-Ingvar Brånemark, a Swedish orthopedic surgeon. A dental implant is an artificial tooth root made of titanium. The implant essentially serves as an anchor for a replacement tooth.

Dental implants, however, are not the only way to replace missing teeth. In fact, the more traditional, and still more popular option, is a bridge. When confronted with a choice of a dental implant or bridge, many people are confused and are not sure which treatment option would serve them best.

The reality, of course, is that the choice between a bridge or an implant should be based on your specific dental condition and personal preferences. In consultation with your dentist, you should be able to discover whether a dental implant or bridge is most suitable for your particular case. In general nowadays, though, with currently available technology, it’s probably accurate to say, that assuming cost is not an issue, dental implants are the preferred method for replacing missing teeth.

However, there are still certain several general considerations that should be taken into account when making a choice between a dental implant or a bridge. One main factor that is often missed when discussing the advantages of dental implants is the time involved in the treatment.

The reality is that is that dental implant treatment is time intensive process. Despite a lot of marketing jargon, the fact is that dental implants are not really a one-day affair. When you decide to get dental implants, depending on your specific oral condition, you must be prepared to wait as long as 8 to 9 months from the time of implant placement to a fully functional crown. If you require bone augmentation, or some other additional procedure, the wait could be even longer.

When people hear this timeline, it’s not surprising that they may want to choose a traditional bridge over implants. Bridge fabrication and treatment can be done over a few visits to the dentist and is not ultimately a complex surgical and prosthetic option.

However, don’t let the time factor around dental implants scare you. It is very important to measure the length of the treatment plan for dental implants, against the longevity of the implant. So although the total dental implant treatment could span for nearly a year, once your done, you should be smiling for a long time. In fact, it is estimated that the average implant supported crown will last about 45 years! Compare that to a bridge, where the estimate is that the average bridge lasts only about 15 years, if that long.

Even better is the fact that the dental implant will eventually really function like a real tooth. So with a little patience, the longer wait for dental implants surely seems worth it given the quality and longevity of dental implants. But, if you’re the type of person who wants a solution today and hates potential multiple visits to a dentist over the course of a year, it’s possible dental implants are not for you.

There are of course, other options, besides time, to consider when you need to choose between dental implant and bridge. However, a clearer understanding of the time factor of implants compared to bridges should make it easier to choose a path that will keep you smiling in the long-term.