Generally speaking, having a good, well aligned and balanced bite with your OWN NATURAL SOUND TEETH, is going to be better than trying to achieve the same with dental implants, or any other man-made prosthesis.
However, there are instances whereby dental implants are indicated as part of an overall orthodontic treatment plan. Dental implants maybe suggested in situations where gaps are too large to be predictably closed with braces.
There is no cookie cutter approach to answering your question so every case has to be assessed on its unique merits and the risk and benefits discussed.
Its hard to describe absolute " trade-offs" between braces and dental implants, because there is no perfect option that would work for everyone.
Braces can take up to 2-3 years for some cases, and dental implants sometimes only 3 months. So there might be a benefit in terms of time. if you choose implants.
Theres no surgery involved in braces, but if you consider dental implants, surgery is required.
Braces moves all your natural teeth into its most favourable bite position, whereas a dental implant just replaces one single tooth.
If you dont close the gap, the neighbouring teeth might collapse into the space and the imbalance in your bite may get worse, resulting in some teeth being subjected to more stress than others. This will in turn result in uneven wear and tear of your teeth over time.
If time is not a factor, i would strongly suggest that you consider braces, to move all of your teeth to its most ideal bite and aesthetic position, if it means you can avoid getting a dental implant.
I hope my answer helps!
Kind Regards,
Dr Gerald Tan
