What You Should Know About Dentures Over Implants
Implant-supported dentures have become a sought-after full-mouth replacement option. Traditional dentures have evolved and improved over the years; however, they still have some drawbacks. But dentures over implants eliminate a lot of the issues associated with traditional dentures.
How Implant-Supported Dentures Work
Dental implants look and function like natural teeth. They come with a titanium post that acts like a tooth root placed surgically in your jawbone. The procedure is completed by placing a dental crown on top of the post. Often, four implants are placed in your jaw to hold a complete denture arch.
What to Know About an All-on-4 Procedure?
In this procedure, four implants are placed and attached to the denture prosthesis in one day. Before, implant placements can take a few weeks to complete. However, All-on-4 implants reduce the cost and the amount of time it takes to get the procedure done.
Implant-Supported Dentures vs Traditional Dentures
There are many benefits you can gain when you opt for implant-supported dentures over traditional dentures. These include the following:
- Fixed in place. An implant-supported denture is supported. The dental implant supports the denture to hold it in place. This eliminates the slipping, shifting, and gum irritation associated with traditional dentures. Dentures that are supported with implants are permanent, and only your dentist can remove them.
- No adhesives. To hold traditional dentures in place, a combination of denture adhesives and suction are used. However, these can be messy and not pleasant to use. Also, you need to scrub them off using a brush at night before you apply them again the next day. And you will have to spend money on these adhesives if you have dentures.
- Consume your favorite foods. With traditional dentures, some foods are hard or frustrating to eat. Seedy foods can get stuck underneath your dentures, and hard foods can be off-limits or hard and painful to chew. When you consume chewy or sticky foods, your dentures can detach from the gums. However, dental-supported dentures give you significant biting force, allowing you to eat your favorite food normally.
- Easy brushing. Implant-supported dentures let you brush your teeth normally. You do not need to remove your dentures to clean them. This is less maintenance before you go to bed every night.
- Less jawbone loss. When you lose teeth, your jawbone loses the stimulation that the lost teeth used to offer. When your jawbone weakens, it will resorb gradually. This can still happen even if you get traditional dentures since they don’t offer the necessary stimulation. But dental implants preserve and strengthen your jawbone when they fuse together and create a permanent bond.