Dental Implants vs. Bridgework in 2025: What the Global Data Tells Us

dental prosthesis i.e. dental implants, dental bridges, dentures are one of the main aspects of dental treatments especially in Delhi & Gurgaon. With increase in awareness and ease of accessibility to healthcare, people have a better understanding about their needs and definitely strive towards their “best dental treatment.” Thus, bringing to you the best dental clinic near you in Delhi-NCR, The Dental Roots, headed by Dr. Dheeraj Setia.
Dr. Dheeraj Setia holds a master’s degree in conservative and endodontic dentistry and is a diplomat of American Academy of Implantology, thus, deeply understands the preservation of a tooth and its rehabilitation.

When an individual loses their tooth or teeth, due to decay/cavity, fractured due to trauma, underlying gum infection etc, it is very important to restore that tooth or replace it with a dental implant. A dental implant at The Dental Roots, is a screw-like structure that is placed in your jaw/bone, in place of the missing tooth/teeth. It is firmly embedded and after placing the implant crown over the dental implant after a reasonable time of healing, it mimics a natural tooth or teeth. Dental implants are absolutely painless as they’re done under local anaesthesia.  Thus, rehabilitating and restoring the natural smile of yours. 

 There are multiple treatment options to replace that missing tooth or teeth, namely:

• Dental implant(s)
• Dental bridges aka Fixed partial dentures (FPD)
• Dentures 

Often our patients ask us what will be the best way to replace a missing tooth and without hesitation, we recommend dental implants at The Dental Roots. There are extremely rare cases where dental implants are not recommended but this decision is taken only after a thorough study of the case, using our most advanced diagnostic adjuncts at The Dental Roots like in-house CT scan aka CBCT. Each and every case at The Dental Roots is taken seriously and a thorough treatment planning is done by Dr. Dheeraj Setia and his team of dental experts, prosthodontists, Dr. Priyanka Bhat and Dr. Nivea Verma. 

We say that the best treatment modality to replace a missing tooth or teeth is via a dental implant, not only based on our experience but also the recent studies suggest the same. 

What is a dental bridge aka fixed partial denture?

A dental bridge as the name suggests ideally comprises two teeth, adjacent to the missing tooth/teeth (either side), that act as “pillars” of the bridge to replace the in between placed missing tooth/teeth. Thus, acting as a “bridge”. 

Here, we have to make sure that the acting pillars, the adjacent teeth should be strong and healthy enough to withstand the forces of biting i.e. forces of mastication. Thus, we are equally distributing the forces of the adjacent teeth that should be taken by those particular missing tooth/teeth.

What are the types of dental bridges or bridgework?

There are various types of dental bridges, namely:

• Traditional Dental bridge 
• Cantilever dental bridge
• Maryland dental bridge

What are the cons of dental bridges?

Even though this treatment modality of dental bridges is successful and widely used, there are a few limitations to it:

• For a dental bridge, the adjacent teeth need to be strong enough to bear the load of biting forces i.e. masticatory forces as these adjacent teeth will be the “supporting pillars” of the bridge.
• Thus, to take that support, these adjacent teeth that are healthy, have to be reshaped by minimal preparation of the enamel. This reduces the longevity of the naturally healthy teeth. 
• proving the fact that giving a dental bridge is not a conservative approach as compared to the dental implants where the adjacent teeth or any structure is harmed or compromised. 
• the risk of tooth decay may increase in case the hygiene is not maintained. 
• aesthetically, having multiple “caps” in one’s mouth is not pleasing to the eyes either. 
• In cases of large gaps between the teeth, aesthetically, single dental implants are preferred.
• Moreover, having these bridges can also not be cost effective due to these multiple crowns.

As mentioned earlier, even with these limitations, there might be a few cases where a patient and our dental surgeons would recommend dental bridgework over dental implants. Such cases are extremely rare. 

 implants vs dental bridges; benefits of dental implants:

there are various advantages of dental implants over dental bridges: 

• To begin with, only the missing tooth/teeth is to be replaced, without compromising adjacent teeth. Thus, preserving the natural tooth structure and harmony of the occlusion. 
• The underlying bone strength and density is maintained as there are no undue forces thus, preventing any further bone loss. 
• The longevity of dental implants have been proven more than the dental bridges.
• The strength of dental implants is more than multi-unit bridgework.
• The ease of maintaining oral hygiene is even more as compared to dental bridges. Inter-dental flosses and brushes are readily available and are extremely easy to use. thus, attaining better oral hygiene.
• aesthetics plays an important role along with restoring the functionality. Aesthetically, dental implants are more  viable as compared to dental bridgework. 
• There are times when these dental bridges might cause some gum inflammation or disease due to faulty margins that continuously impinge the gums. It can also increase the chances of underlying tooth decay.
• When multiple are missing, dental implants are preferred over dental bridges for an ideal and a desired full mouth rehabilitation. 

Thus, all these points mentioned above show that dental implants are preferred in “implants vs dental bridges.”

Dr. Dheeraj Setia along with his team of implants and crown specialists believe in a conservative approach and would always suggest what is the best for their patients after a complete case study of their patient. Every case is unique in its way. 

to know about the “best dental implants in Delhi and Gurgaon”, drop us a mail at enquiry@thedentalroots.com or call us on +91 8130750008.