Dental Implants vs. Bridges: Which Option is Best for You?

At Renew Dental Loft here in Schaumburg, one of the questions we hear most often from patients who are missing a tooth is:
"Should I get a dental implant or a bridge?"

It’s a great question — and an important one. Both options can restore your smile, help you chew comfortably again, and boost your confidence. But they work very differently, and each has its own advantages depending on your unique situation.

I’m Dr. Nicholas Hoepfner, and in this post, I’ll walk you through the key differences between dental implants and bridges, share my honest recommendations based on experience, and help you understand which option might be right for you. I’ll also give you a peek into what the treatment process is like here at Renew Dental Loft, including how we make sure you’re comfortable every step of the way.

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What Is a Dental Bridge?

A dental bridge is exactly what it sounds like — a bridge that spans the gap where you’re missing a tooth. It’s supported by the teeth on either side of the gap, which we call the abutment teeth. These teeth are prepared (meaning we reshape them slightly) so that they can hold the crowns that will anchor the bridge in place.

The bridge itself is a single piece with three parts:

• Two crowns that go over the abutment teeth
  
• A replacement tooth, called a pontic, in the middle
  

Once cemented in place, a bridge restores your ability to chew and smile without that visible gap.

What Is a Dental Implant?

A dental implant is a completely independent tooth replacement. Instead of relying on neighboring teeth for support, an implant is anchored directly into your jawbone. Here’s how it works:

• We place a small titanium screw into the bone, which acts like the root of your tooth.
  
• Over the next few months, your bone grows and fuses to the implant in a process called osseointegration.
  
• Once the implant is secure, we attach a custom crown that looks, feels, and functions like a natural tooth.
  

Because implants stand alone, we don’t have to touch healthy neighboring teeth — something I’m a big believer in avoiding whenever possible.

Key Differences Between Implants and Bridges

Both options can give you a beautiful, functional smile, but here are some important distinctions:

1. Impact on Neighboring Teeth

With a bridge, we have to prepare the teeth on either side of the gap to hold the bridge in place. This means removing some healthy enamel, which permanently alters those teeth.
With an implant, your other teeth are left completely untouched.

2. Bone Health

Your jawbone needs stimulation to stay healthy — something it gets naturally from chewing. When you lose a tooth, that stimulation disappears, and the bone can start to shrink away over time (a process called resorption).
An implant replaces the root of the tooth and provides that stimulation, helping to preserve bone. A bridge, unfortunately, does not.

3. Longevity

Dental implants are considered the gold standard for tooth replacement because of their long-term success rates — in fact, studies show that 3D guided dental implant placements have a five-year survival rate of around 95.6%, even in complex cases.
Bridges can also last many years but may need replacement sooner, especially if one of the supporting teeth develops a problem.

4. Aesthetics and Feel

Implants look and feel like single natural teeth. Bridges are beautiful, too, but because they’re one connected piece, they can sometimes feel different when flossing or chewing.

Why We Recommend Dental Implants When Possible

If you have enough healthy bone to support an implant, it’s often the best choice for the long-term health of your mouth.

Here’s why we lean toward implants at Renew Dental Loft:

• We can leave your other teeth alone.
  
• They help maintain your bone and facial structure.
  
• They often last a lifetime with proper care.
  
• They feel more natural and independent than a bridge.
  

That said, there are cases where an implant just isn’t the best fit — like if the bone is too compromised, or if certain health factors make surgery risky. In those situations, a bridge can still be an excellent and reliable solution.

When a Bridge Might Be the Better Option

Bridges have their place, and we still recommend them in certain circumstances:

• Compromised bone where an implant won’t be stable without significant grafting.
  
• Multiple adjacent missing teeth where a single bridge can replace them more efficiently.
  
• Medical or budget considerations where a less surgical, shorter-term option is preferred.
  

In other words, while implants are often the gold standard, a well-done bridge can still restore function and aesthetics beautifully.

What the Dental Implant Process Looks Like

Getting a dental implant is a process — and yes, it takes more time than a bridge. But the results are worth it.

Here’s what to expect at Renew Dental Loft:

Step 1: Consultation and Planning

We start with a thorough exam, digital imaging, and a conversation about your goals. We’ll check the condition of your bone, your overall oral health, and your bite. If everything looks good, we plan your implant placement in detail using digital technology.

Step 2: Placement Surgery

On the day of surgery, we keep you as comfortable as possible. You’ll have the option of:

• Cozy touches like a warm neck pillow and blanket
  
• Nitrous oxide (laughing gas)
  
• Oral sedatives such as Valium
  
• IV sedation for those who want to be completely asleep
  

Once you’re relaxed, we place the implant into the bone. Think of it like setting the foundation for a house — it needs to be solid before you build on it.

Step 3: Healing and Osseointegration

This is the part where patience is key. Just like a broken bone takes time to heal in a cast, your implant needs time for the bone to fuse to it. For some patients, this is around 4–5 months. In more complex cases, it can be closer to 9–12 months. There’s no way to “speed up” bone healing — nature has to do its work.

Step 4: Restoration

Once the implant is stable, we attach your custom crown. It’s designed to blend perfectly with your surrounding teeth so no one can tell it’s not your own.

Why Healing Time Matters

One of the few downsides of implants is that they take longer from start to finish than a bridge. But that healing period is what allows implants to be so successful in the long term. The bone and implant essentially become one solid unit, giving you strength, stability, and confidence that lasts for decades.

How Bridges Are Placed

If we determine a bridge is your best option, the process is faster:

• We prepare the abutment teeth by reshaping them for crowns.
  
• We take impressions or digital scans for the lab.
  
• The lab creates your bridge, which we cement in place once it’s ready.
  

You leave with a fully restored smile much sooner — sometimes in just a few weeks.

Bone Health Over Time: Implants vs. Bridges

This is one of the biggest differences patients don’t always think about.

When we use a bridge, the bone under the missing tooth isn’t being stimulated anymore, so it can slowly shrink away. Over years, this can lead to changes in your bite or facial shape and put extra stress on the supporting teeth.

With an implant, chewing forces travel down into the bone, just like they would with a natural tooth. This helps maintain bone density and prevent that resorption process.

A Story That Stuck With Me

One of my favorite implant cases happened several years ago when I was practicing in Florida.

I had a patient who only had four teeth left on his lower jaw. Eating was a challenge, and his confidence was low. We placed four implants and gave him a fixed option that restored his entire lower arch.

The transformation was incredible — he could chew again, he was smiling more, and you could just see the weight lift off his shoulders.

A few months later, I moved to the Chicago area. But this patient enjoyed his results so much that he actually tracked down my home address through my parents and wrote me a letter asking if I’d do his upper teeth, too. That’s the kind of life-changing impact implants can have.

Choosing the Right Option for You

At Renew Dental Loft, our goal isn’t to pressure you into one treatment or the other — it’s to give you all the information, explain what we’ve seen in our own experience, and help you make the choice that feels right for you.

Some patients value the permanence and bone health benefits of implants. Others prefer the faster turnaround and lower initial cost of a bridge. Both are valid choices — and we’re here to support you whichever path you take.

Other Services We Offer

While we love helping patients with dental implants and bridges, that’s just one part of what we do here in Schaumburg. We see patients of all ages and offer everything from routine cleanings to teeth whitening to complex smile makeovers.

As a family-owned practice, we take pride in caring for multiple generations in the same family. Whether you’re here for a simple check-up or a major restorative treatment, we want you to feel at home in our chair.

Final Thoughts

If you’re missing a tooth — or several — you don’t have to settle for living with the gap. Both dental implants and bridges can restore your smile, improve your function, and give you back the confidence you deserve.

If you’re in Schaumburg or the surrounding area and you’d like to explore your options, give us a call at (847) 310-9090 or schedule an appointment online. We’ll walk you through the process, answer your questions, and help you find the solution that’s best for your smile.