You’ll discover some superb alternatives to dental bridges. But before our main discussion, let’s review the topic.

What is the Alternative to a Dental Bridge?

Do you have missing teeth, or are you faced with specific tooth problems? Oral bridges are an excellent way to fill or handle such gaps.

However, it still needs to be ranked the best regarding durability, looks, and natural feel. To help improve your smile, you’ll have to look at other options.

Luckily, many real-world substitutes for tooth bridges are worth checking out. All you need to do is keep flipping this page.

  • About Dental Bridge

An oral bridge is simply an artificial tooth swap in places where tooth loss has occurred. Usually, a prosthetic is used to replace one or more missing teeth.

Most tooth bridges comprise gold, special alloys, ceramics, zirconia, and porcelain.

The artificial teeth are designed to look natural and make it easier to speak and chew. With proper hygiene, the implant can last ten years or more. It’s also easy to maintain such dental implants.

Furthermore, a typical oral bridge is made up of two parts. The first part is called a fake tooth or pontic. It’s intended to replace the missing tooth. The second part is known as abutments.

It’s an oral crown that bonds to the natural teeth on either side of the missing one.

To ensure the abutments hold fast, the teeth they’re bonding must be filled down, reshaped, and contoured. But if you don’t want such tooth implants, use the alternatives listed below.

Dental Bridge Alternatives

As stated, there’re other options for oral bridges. These alternatives can offer less invasive care that many patients prefer over implants.

Moreover, these options are cheaper than traditional bridges and provide better results. Below are some oral bridge alternatives.

  • Root Canal Therapy

Do you have a severe infection in your mouth? Then opt for this oral procedure. The therapy is usually used when there’s damage or decay inside your tooth.

The dentist will clean out the tooth and stabilize its health. The infected pulp will be removed and swapped with fillings.

In the case of severe damage, a crown will be placed over the tooth. The idea is to help prevent further decay or infection. But if the damage is superficial, you may not need a crown to seal the tooth.

  • Maryland Bridge

Unlike conventional oral bridges, the Maryland bridge doesn’t use abutments. The pontic will be held in place by a metal framework.

However, it’ll be bonded to the back of the teeth on either side of the missing tooth. Furthermore, the Maryland bridge doesn’t require crowns, shaping, or contouring; the anchor teeth will be kept intact.

However, there’s one con to this type of bridging. The implant is held in place by oral resin. This means the tooth will only be vital as the resin itself.

  • Gum Disease Treatment

Gum disease is known to cause damage or decimation of the tooth enamel. Such injuries can lead to decay and cavity formation over time.

Moreover, severe cases of gum disease can cause the teeth to become loose. But with proper regenerative treatment, your tooth and gums can fully recover.

This oral procedure may offer different results than others. But patients with zero records of severe tooth loss should start. It can also stop the infection in your mouth from spreading to other body parts.

  • Dental Implants

This is another fantastic substitute for an oral bridge. It involves the installation of a small titanium post in the jawbone where the previous tooth fell out.

The titanium post is to replace the missing tooth. An abutment will be attached to the titanium post as a root. It will also anchor the outer part of the oral implant.

Dental implants require several procedures and may take several months. But the results can last a lifetime.

A few perks of these implants include the fact that there are no risks of tooth decay or fractures, they look better, and they are structured like natural teeth.

  • Classic Dental Bridge 

You can also count on this treatment option to replace your missing tooth perfectly. Here, two crowns will be used on either side of the space where the tooth falls out.

After that, they’ll place a substitute tooth in the middle. This will give the illusion of implants without the changes linked with them.

A classic tooth bridge is cheaper than an implant and will not require surgery. Maintenance is easy and can last a long time with proper hygiene practices.

But remember, the bridge can get chipped, loose, or broken by hard foods and chewing over time.

Therefore, you must watch your gums closely after receiving such treatment. Your mouth may not recognize the new tooth without an implant.

  • Don’t Do Anything

Doing nothing is another fantastic alternative to a conventional oral bridge.

You may not want unnecessary tooth procedures when you can live perfectly well without them. However, avoiding tooth problems can become more costly and challenging to treat later.

If you discover a cavity or infection, seek urgent oral care. Leaving it untreated can cause severe pain and make your teeth less healthy.

Moreover, it will call for additional oral care down the road.

Complications of Dental Bridge

Indeed, tooth bridges are considered safe, but they pose a few risks. First, you may develop decay under the crown of your bridges over time.

The crown must be removed to treat the damage when such an event occurs. A new crown will be placed over the reshaped tooth, which can be an additional expense.

Furthermore, your tooth bridge might have a higher risk of breaking.

This is often the case if the bridge is anchored to only one tooth or spans several missing teeth. Therefore, dentists advise patients to choose something other than the traditional oral bridge.

A dental bridge is expensive compared to most of the alternatives listed above.

A thriving traditional bridge may cost you roughly $2,000 to $5,000. Coupled with the downside of the procedure, most patients prefer other treatment options.

Discuss it with your dentist before opting for the listed oral care options. They’ll help evaluate your natural teeth and determine which procedure suits you.

If you don’t like invasive treatment, you can go for an extraction.