If you have a bunch of missing teeth, implant-supported dentures are one of the options you should consider. They are a significant upgrade from conventional dentures, which are typically recommended when a person has lost most of their real teeth.
Dentures are the most affordable missing teeth solution, and they work just fine for many people all over the world. However, some people are never able to adjust to life with dentures due to issues like the constant shifting of the oral prosthetic irritating soft tissues in the mouth or the appliance falling out of their mouth when talking or eating.
Replacing missing teeth with implant-supported dentures
Implants are oral restorations that are inserted into the patient’s jaw. They replace teeth roots that fall out when teeth are lost, and they help to preserve bone tissues in the jaw. Implants can also serve as a base for oral restorations like crowns or prosthetic teeth like dentures.
Ideally, people with missing teeth would replace them all with implants, but that is simply not an option for most people due to how pricey getting implants can be. A single implant can cost more than a full set of dentures.
Implant-supported dentures allow patients to get the best of what implants and dentures have to offer. The patient’s dentures are secured to implants that keep them firmly in place. This completely changes the wearer’s experience for the better.
The different types of implant-supported dentures
Implant-supported dentures can be removable or fixed in place. The two main types of removable implant-supported dentures are ball-retained and bar-retained. The latter uses a metal strip that is secured to implants to clip their dentures in place, while the former uses ball-shaped metal attachments on implants to keep dentures in place.
Some patients prefer fixed implant-supported dentures which stay in once the dentist attaches a special set of dentures to four to six implants on each dental arch. These types of dentures typically do no require any special care, making them a more convenient option than removable dentures which need to be cleaned and soaked daily.
Determining eligibility
Getting implant-supported dentures for missing teeth starts with the dentist evaluating the patient to determine if they have enough bone tissues in their jaw to hold these oral prosthetics in place. The dentist will also go over the patient’s medical history to assess if they are healthy enough for oral surgery.
People who have worn dentures for years might have lost significant amounts of bone tissue in their jaw, since dentures do not stimulate the jawbone enough to prevent the bone tissue loss that takes place when teeth are lost. Such patients might need to thicken their jawbone with bone grafts before proceeding with implants. That can add up to three months to their treatment plan since they need to be fully healed from their bone grafts for implants to be placed.
A better alternative to traditional dentures
Implant-supported dentures eliminate many of the issues people who wear conventional dentures complain about like the prosthetic constantly moving in their mouth. Give us a call or drop by our Auburn to set up a consultation with our dentist.
Request an appointment here: https://pier210dental.com or call Pier 210 Dental Group at (530) 885-5696 for an appointment in our Auburn office.
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