Dental Implants vs Bridges and Dentures

Dental implants are known to be more expensive than alternative treatments, either it is a 3-teeth bridge vs a single dental implant or a partial/full removable denture vs a fixed implant denture.

But if you consider their longer life span, the lower maintenance costs, in combination with their aesthetic and functional advantages, dental implants may be the most cost efficient treatment in the long term.

Initial Treatment Cost

The cost of a three-unit bridge can range around $2,000 to $3,500. The single dental implant cost is around $3,000-4,000. Prices will be different from area to area or from dentist to dentist, but as a general rule dental implant will be about 20-25% more expensive than the bridge.

From an immediate cost perspective it looks like the three unit bridge restoration might be the preferred treatment. But it may not be so, if you consider all the other factors.

What is important when comparing the cost of alternative treatments is to estimate how long each will last. Dental implants on healthy jawbone can last for a life time if the patient follows careful oral hygiene (for our calculation let's assume an average lifetime of only 20 years).

Other Factors Affecting the Cost

Assuming that you had selected the 3-unit bridge, the following are very possible to happen:

• Adjacent teeth failure. If any of the adjacent teeth that support the bridge fail due to tooth decay or periodontal disease you should replace the entire bridge. Actually the dental bridge itself can contribute to the dental problems of the adjacent teeth. The supporting teeth, even if they are totally healthy, have to be trimmed in order to place the post for the bridge.

  Except of the initial damage made to healthy teeth, they become more susceptible to tooth decay. This can mean additional costs for dental fillings or root canal treatments. The adjacent teeth that anchor the bridge have also to withstand heavier load during chewing, increasing the risk of root fracture which will need a root canal and may lead to tooth loss.

• Dental hygiene problems. Dental bridges require special cleaning with an interdental brush. Many patients find it much more difficult to clean from bacteria the areas around and under dental bridges vs. cleaning plaque around dental implants. This may allow the accumulation of dental plaque around dental bridges, increasing the risk of tooth decay and gum disease.
• Jaw bone damage. Jaw bone in the area of the missing tooth has the tendency to weaken and deteriorate. This could cause increased mobility problems to the teeth that support the bridge. If one of them becomes loose then the structural integrity of the bridge is in danger.
• Bridge repair/replacement. It is estimated that dental bridges have to be replaced every 10 years on average, which is the half of the time that a dental implant is expected to last. So the equivalent of dental implant's cost is the initial bridge cost plus that of the replacement bridge that will be needed in some years. In the mean time, some degree of dental bridge repair may also be required in the years before it has to be replaced, increasing the dental bridge maintenance costs.

Final Cost Comparison

In the long term, by choosing the 'low cost' bridge solution, the patient not only ends up to pay more for the initial bridge and its replacement versus the one time cost for the dental implant, but also has increased risk of loosing more teeth and worsened dental health.

However if a patient is not a good candidate for dental implants e.g. smokers who have increased risk of failure, a dental bridge may be a better alternative when cost effectiveness is the first priority.

The high dental implants cost is the largest obstacle for many patients who want to replace one or more missing teeth. Many of them finally have to prefer the solution of dental bridges and dentures due to their affordable cost, despite the aesthetic and functional superiority of dental implants. But, as discussed earlier, when you want to compare the cost of dental implants vs alternative treatments, you should not focus only on the price you have to pay now for performing the treatment, but it is best to consider the long term cost efficiency of each treatment.

The most important factors you have to consider when comparing alternative treatments are:

• Success rate (short term)

  When you are getting a new dental bridge or denture, you can be certain that it will be ready and fitted at about 2 weeks. Even if something goes wrong and the bridge or denture does not fit properly the dentist will correct the problem at no additional cost. With dental implants there is no 100% guarantee that after the (at least) 3 months required for their placement, they will be functioning properly.

  The success rate of dental implants in healthy natural bone is over 95%, though this falls to between 85 and 90% in grafted bone. The failure rate is 2.5 times higher in smokers compared to non-smokers. Experienced implant dentists have success rate records of around 99% for patients with healthy jaw bone and gums.

• How long will they last

  After a dental implant has been placed and osseointegrated properly, it is expected to last for a lifetime. The only requirement for its longevity is that the patient maintains good dental health with proper daily oral hygiene.

  Dental bridges need replacement in about ten years on average, either due to bridge failure or adjacent teeth failure. Dentures will also need replacement (or modification at least) in about ten years because they will start not to fit properly due to jaw bone loss. This means that for comparing properly the cost of dental implants vs a bridge or denture in a 20 years horizon you might have to count for double the cost of alternative types of dental restorations such as a bridge or denture.

• Other dental health implications

  In order to place a dental bridge the supporting teeth even if they are totally healthy have to be cut down to place the post for the bridge. Except of the damage to a healthy tooth, they become more susceptible to tooth decay. Many patients find it difficult to clean the areas around and under dental bridges allowing the accumulation of dental plaque and increasing the risk of tooth decay and gum disease. Jaw bone in the area of the missing tooth has the tendency to weaken and deteriorate. This could cause increased mobility problems to the teeth that support the bridge. If one of them becomes loose then the structural integrity of the bridge is in danger.

  Jaw bone deterioration and loss is also the major problem with removable dentures increasing the speed of the aging process. A tooth implant works just as a natural tooth without any special care needs and without any damage to adjacent teeth. These additional costs of restoring decay or gum disease problems potentially caused by the restoration itself or for maintaining partial or full removable dentures should also be considered when you check their long term cost efficiency vs dental implants treatment.

• Aesthetic and functional result

  Dental implants provide a much better aesthetic and functional results compared to alternative dental restorations. Especially the fixed implant dentures help the patient to maintain their usual eating habits and natural appearance and speaking without the embarrassment often caused by removable dentures.

For patients who have lost most of their teeth replacing them all with dental implants has a very high cost. In such cases the patient can also check for other alternatives such as implant supported bridges or dentures that provide several of the advantages of dental implants but at a much more affordable cost.

Read more about: Advantages of Implant Supported Dentures.

Although dental implants are more expensive than other dental restorations, in the long term they actually worth the initial investment. The advantages of dental implants to prevent bone loss, maintain better dental health and keep dental restorations secure over the course of a lifetime offering a much better quality of life, far outweight their high initial cost. Dental health complications associated with bridges and removable dentures emphasize the better long term cost efficiency of dental implants.