 Hello everybody Andrea here with dental L. I want to talk to you guys about dental implants and why dental implants may be the best option for you if you are missing a tooth or teeth. So when you're missing a tooth or several teeth, we are going to talk to you about getting a bridge and that is to hold that space, that hole because you don't want your teeth shifting into that space. It's going to change the bite. It's going to cause pain and it doesn't look very good either. It doesn't matter if the tooth that's missing is way at the back, at the front, it doesn't matter. It's not going to look good. A lot of patients say to me, well it's at the back. I don't really care. Nobody can see it but we do want to replace that missing tooth because we don't want the teeth shifting in. So you have options. You can get a bridge or a dental implant. Dental implants are my favorite because you don't have to change or modify those teeth beside the missing tooth. When you have a bridge, you have to actually cut into the teeth beside it because you need something for the bridge to hold on to. So I'm going to share my screen and kind of show you guys what I mean there. So one moment. Okay everybody, sorry to keep you waiting there. So this is a dental implant. See how it is. The missing tooth would have been here. Okay. So then the implanted tooth, it's a full screw. That's the implant and then a crown over top. But notice how those teeth beside it are normal teeth. But let me click and show you guys what a bridge looks like. So I'm going to click again here. This is a bridge. So in this picture here, they actually have two missing teeth. So instead of having a dental implant, one implant here, one implant here to go directly in the mouth, directly in the bone, what they have to do is they have to attach a full bridge. So this one, two, three, four pieces, four teeth, that's part of the bridge. But this normal tooth here, this normal tooth here also has to be shaved down so that the bridge has something to hold on to and to keep these two false teeth called abutments in place. So the retainer of a bridge are the crown pieces. Sorry guys, just my alarm. The crown pieces that go over top and existing tooth or teeth, so two teeth. And the abutment are the fake teeth that are taking its place of those teeth that are not there. So does that make sense? So I'll show you guys again. So this is a dental implant. You just have to worry about the one. It is a screw that goes directly into the bone. An implant is very easy to clean. It just acts like a normal tooth. But then you have a bridge where all of this is kind of bonded together. So it is trickier to clean. You have to clean underneath the bridge with special types of tools, special toothbrushes, everything. It is harder to maintain and harder to clean. But it does fill these holes. So you can fill the hole or holes with an implant or a bridge. So I personally like an implant more because you don't have to touch the other opposing teeth. And the cost is comparable. Talk to your dentist because they will be the ones doing the implant. They might even refer you to an oral surgeon. It just depends on what their comfort level is. The cost of a bridge depending on how big the bridge is, how many teeth are missing could be anywhere from $800, $1,000, $2,000. It depends. An implant typically starts at $1,000 and could be more depending on what is needed. Sometimes if your jaw bone needs more bone added to it because you're not that healthy, maybe you are a heavy smoker, maybe you have bone disease where you had periodontal disease or the cavity just sort of a lot can happen. It's kind of another video for another day. I don't want to get too complicated for you. But sometimes implants can cost more because it goes directly into the bone. If the bone isn't strong enough, they're going to add more bone. Or they might just say to you, an implant is too much work, let's do a bridge. It's better for you. Sometimes even though an implant is usually the best option, it might not be the best option for you. That is okay. Ask for how long do they last. If taken well care of, implants can last forever. Bridges, if taken care of, can last a long time, but they're harder to clean. That is why they don't typically last forever. Talk to your dentist. Talk to your dental hygienist. They know your mouth, your history. They can let you know. And then you can let me know. Let them know if you have any questions and I'm more than happy to help. So think about the dental implant. Think about the bridge. Both are ways to replace a missing tooth or teeth that should be done sooner rather than later because you don't want the teeth shifting into that missing space. It can change everything and cause you more pain. So I hope this helped you guys. Let me know if you have any other questions.