The bone volume that used to hold the teeth, shrink, and will continue to shrink forever unless a dental implant is placed into that site. If dental implants or an implant bridge are put where the lost teeth or gaps are, the bone will stop shrinking as it thinks a tooth is in place.
Teeth near the gap(s) will begin drifting out of normal alignment and begin tipping into the gaps. Teeth in the opposite jaw, which used to bite onto the teeth that were previously there, will “miss” that partner and begin to drop down trying to find its lost partner to re-establish the bite.
If offered removable tooth replacements, such as partial or full dentures, bone shrinkage will continue whether you wear the dentures or not. Using a crown bridge will also not prevent future bone loss.
A dental implant bridge is an ideal solution for an individual who has lost multiple teeth in the same area. An implant is osseointegrated into the bone with a crown placed on top, which causes the jaw to think there is a tooth there. Additionally, one does not have to worry about dentures ever falling out or slipping with this method.
For people with many missing teeth in one jaw, or the other, or for those who have many failing teeth in a jaw which need to be removed, they may benefit from the placement of four implants placed at the same time as the failing teeth are removed, and have an arch-full of fixed-in-place teeth placed onto the implants that within hours of the implant placements. You don’t need one implant to replace each tooth. They can be strategically spread-out, saving the patient both time and money.