Bridge or implant: what speaks for what

For a single gap two ways are open. Both work, both have a price – only in different currencies.

What speaks for the bridge

No surgery, no waiting for healing, finished in a few weeks. Cheaper. And if the neighbouring teeth already have large fillings or crowns anyway, hardly anything is lost by grinding them down.

What speaks for the implant

The neighbouring teeth stay untouched – that weighs heavily if they are healthy. The bone at the gap continues to be loaded and does not recede. And if another tooth is lost later, the whole restoration is not immediately called into question.

When the question does not arise at all

If the rear neighbouring tooth is missing, there is no second abutment – a classic bridge is ruled out. If there is too little bone and a graft is not an option, the implant is ruled out. So it is often the findings that decide, not the preference.