Dental implants last for a life time where as dental bridges are expected to last 8-10 years.
Dental implants have a unique benefit of replacing the missing tooth without altering or grinding the neighboring tooth unlike dental bridges where the adjacent tooth is grinned for support.
A myth prevails that implant options are only for the young and not old people. on the contrary aged people shall always opt for dental implants over dental bridges as their general health is bound to deteriorate with time and they cannot afford multiple dental appointments for future problems with bridges which is bound to happen in due time. adding to that aged people have higher need for adequate dietary supplementation and are more prone to metabolic diseases like diabetes etc.
Ignoring or delaying replacement of missing tooth could actually decrease number of years of once life as suggested by a recent study done in 2015 in Finland.