Implant Splinted Crown: What's the Advantages and Disadvantages?

Teresa asks:

I heard of two different things: an implant splinted crown or non-splinted crown. What is the difference? What are the advantages and disadvantages of them? Is it true that splinted crowns withstand a greater force?

Answered by: Dr. Cheryl Goren Robins

Millburn, NJ

Hi Teresa,

Splinting two dental implants together does give them additional strength as a group, however, it can be slightly harder to clean because they are connected. This occurs with natural teeth as well when patients have single tooth crowns versus bridges. The advantages and disadvantages need to be looked at with your particular situation.

There are times when the size of the implants are large enough to leave them as non-splinted crowns to facilitate your ability to keep them clean. There are other times when the size of the implants necessitates splinting them together.

Other reasons to splint may also include a location in the front of the mouth where multiple teeth are missing and putting single implants too close together would not look very good and so a "dummy" tooth or pontic is placed between implants and then connected via an implant bridge. Yet, another reason may be related to the forces that you will put on the implants because of your bite and how your teeth close together.