Implant, Bridge or Denture: Replacing a Missing Tooth

Losing a tooth is not only about appearance. The teeth beside a gap drift into it and the tooth above or below drifts down, which changes the bite and makes later treatment harder. So the question is usually which replacement, not whether.

An **implant** replaces the root itself with a titanium post, topped by a crown. It does not involve touching the neighbouring teeth, it does not move, and it stimulates the bone the way a natural root does. It costs the most and takes the longest, because the bone needs months to fuse to the post. It also depends on having enough bone and healthy gums.

A **bridge** anchors a replacement tooth to the teeth on either side. It is faster and cheaper than an implant and it is fixed in place, but it requires cutting down two healthy teeth to take the anchors — which is a real cost if those teeth are sound.

A **denture** is removable, the least expensive, and the most flexible when several teeth are missing. The trade-off is stability: it needs adjusting over time and it will never feel quite like a fixed tooth.

There is no single right answer. It depends on how many teeth are missing, the condition of the ones remaining, your bone level, your general health and your budget. An X-ray and an examination will narrow it down quickly.