comparison guide
Dental implants vs bridges: which is right for your missing tooth?
Dental implants vs bridges is one of the most common choices patients face after losing a tooth. Both give you a fixed, natural-looking replacement. However, they anchor in very different ways, and that affects your other teeth, your cost, and your long-term results. This guide compares them side by side.
Similar 10-year survival
Implants spare your other teeth
Bridges finish in weeks
The basics
What is the difference between dental implants and bridges?
A quick, plain-language answer before the details below.
Dental implants and bridges both replace missing teeth, but they anchor in very different ways. An implant is a titanium post placed in your jawbone, topped with a crown. It stands on its own, so it never touches the teeth beside it.
A traditional bridge, by contrast, is a row of crowns cemented to the teeth beside the gap. To fit it, your dentist files down those neighbouring teeth. As a result, a bridge depends on the health of those anchor teeth for its whole life.
Implant: stands alone
Anchors in bone and leaves neighbouring teeth untouched.
Bridge: uses your teeth
Anchors to the two teeth beside the gap, which must be filed down.
Both: fixed in place
Neither comes out, so both feel far more natural than a denture.
Which suits you
Which is right for you: an implant or a bridge?
Your bone, your neighbouring teeth, and your timeline all matter. Here is the short version.
An implant is usually the better choice when the teeth beside the gap are healthy. After all, there is little reason to file down sound teeth to hold a bridge. Implants also help keep the jawbone under the gap from shrinking.
However, a bridge can make sense in some cases. For example, if the neighbouring teeth already need crowns, a bridge covers both jobs at once. A bridge may also suit you if you cannot have surgery or want to finish within a few weeks.
An implant may suit you if
- The teeth beside the gap are healthy
- You have enough jawbone, or can have a graft
- You want to protect your natural teeth
- You are comfortable with a minor surgery
A bridge may suit you if
- The teeth beside the gap already need crowns
- You cannot have oral surgery
- You want to finish within a few weeks
- You have too little bone for an implant
How each works
How implants and bridges are placed, step by step
The two paths start the same way, then split. Here is what each stage involves.
1. Consultation
For either option, your dentist examines the gap and the teeth beside it. An implant also needs a 3D CBCT scan of your bone.
2. Preparation
For a bridge, your dentist files down the two neighbouring teeth and takes impressions. For an implant, your dentist places the post in your jawbone instead.
3. Waiting period
A bridge needs about two to three weeks while the lab makes it. An implant needs three to six months to fuse with bone.
4. Final fitting
Your dentist cements the bridge onto the prepared teeth, or attaches a custom crown to the healed implant.
5. Long-term care
Both need daily cleaning and regular checkups. A bridge needs special floss underneath, while an implant cleans like a natural tooth.
Head to head
Dental implants vs bridges, side by side
Both work well. The trade-offs show up in your other teeth and over time.
In the long run, implants and bridges survive at similar rates. However, they tend to fail in different ways. Bridges most often run into decay or nerve damage in the anchor teeth. Implants, on the other hand, more often have mechanical issues, such as a loose screw or chipped porcelain.
Dental implant
- Leaves neighbouring teeth untouched
- Helps preserve jawbone under the gap
- Cleans like a natural tooth
- Needs minor surgery and months of healing
Traditional bridge
- No surgery needed
- Finished within a few weeks
- Works when bone is limited
- Files down two teeth to anchor it
Cost
How do implant and bridge costs compare in Ontario?
A single dental implant in Ontario typically costs $3,000 to $6,000, including the implant, abutment, and crown. A traditional three-unit bridge usually costs $2,500 to $5,000. So a bridge often costs less upfront.
Over time, however, that gap can narrow. A bridge usually needs replacing every 10 to 15 years, and the anchor teeth may need treatment along the way. In fact, a 2013 study of front-tooth replacement found single implants more cost-effective than bridges over 10 years. OHIP covers neither option, but many private plans cover part of the work. We also offer financing from $99 per month.
Typical Ontario range
$3,000 to $6,000
Single implant with crown
$2,500 to $5,000
Traditional three-unit bridge
Long-term outcomes
How long do dental implants and bridges last?
Both options last a long time with good care. For example, a major systematic review pooled studies with at least five years of follow-up. It found 94.5% of implant crowns and 93.8% of bridges still in place after five years. After ten years, the figures were 89.4% and 89.2%, almost identical.
The bigger difference is in complications. For bridges, the most common problems were decay and nerve damage in the anchor teeth. For implants, however, mechanical issues such as loose screws and chipped porcelain were more common. In other words, a bridge puts your natural teeth at more risk, while an implant needs more hardware upkeep.
Sources: Comparison of survival and complication rates of tooth-supported fixed dental prostheses and implant-supported FDPs and single crowns, Clinical Oral Implants Research, PubMed
Cost-effectiveness of anterior implants versus fixed dental prostheses, Journal of Dental Research, PMC
89.4%
of implant crowns still in place at 10 years
89.2%
of traditional bridges still in place at 10 years
FAQ
Implants vs bridges: your questions, answered
Straight answers to what patients ask us most.
Which lasts longer, an implant or a bridge?
Research shows similar survival at 10 years, around 89% for both. However, a failing bridge can also harm the anchor teeth, while an implant leaves its neighbours alone.
Is a bridge cheaper than an implant?
Usually, yes, at first. Over time, though, replacing the bridge and treating the anchor teeth can close the gap. Ask us for a side-by-side quote at your consultation.
Can I switch from a bridge to an implant later?
Often, yes. When a bridge fails, your dentist can remove it and place an implant, sometimes after a bone graft. The anchor teeth may then need their own crowns.
Does getting an implant hurt more than a bridge?
An implant involves minor surgery, while a bridge does not. Still, most patients feel pressure rather than pain, since both happen under local anesthetic.
Will insurance cover an implant or a bridge?
OHIP covers neither. However, many private plans cover part of a bridge or crown, and some cover implants. We check your benefits for free at your consultation.
What if the teeth beside my gap already need crowns?
Then a bridge can be a sensible choice, since it crowns those teeth and fills the gap at once. Your dentist will walk you through both options.