Are Implants Worth the Price or Should I Get Dentures
Advantages of Implants versus Implant Dentures
Millions of people suffer from tooth loss. Dentures are less expensive than implants, however there are many areas in which dentures fall short as compared to implants. For starters, complaints about dentures are usually about stability. Denture wearers complain that their teeth fall out when they talk, eat and sometimes even when they walk. Regardless, chewing efficiency is reduced by at least 60 percent with dentures vs implants. Lower dentures are especially unstable due to tongue movement and less room for the denture to attach to the gums.
Dental implants
are a cosmetic, functional and effective solution for tooth loss. There are many great benefits to choosing dental implants. Implants can:
- Rebuild your smile
- Improve your oral health
- Improve your speech
- Improve comfort
- Improve chewing function
- Protect healthy bone structure
- Provide an acceptable long-term tooth replacement option
Implants when combined with dentures can make a poor set of teeth work quite well. Attachments called locator attachments can be placed on top of the implants. The Locator abutments act like male snaps and usually placed on top of the implants. Inside the denture, attachments, the female side of the snap, facilitate a snappy connection between denture teeth and implants. Hence the term implant dentures or snap-on dentures with implants.
Implant dentures is the least expensive way to replace a full mouth of teeth with implants. There are several factors that our implant Dr. Adams considers before recommending dental implants. Some of these include:
- Adequate bone support
- Healthy gum tissue
- Sinus and nerve locations within jaw structure
- Overall health, including any chronic health issues
Implant options include:
- implant dentures
- all on 4 teeth
- full mouth implant teeth
- implant bridges
- zirconia metal free implant
In some cases Dr. Adams may recommend bone grafts with PRF for your upper or lower jaws. Your individual plan is based on your unique needs and goals for a healthy smile.
Dentures are an option if Implants are too expensive
In certain cases dentures can be a very satisfactory solution without implants. Dentures tend to be more stable in the upper jaw versus the lower. And they will fit especially well if teeth were more recently extracted and the palate and shape of the upper jaw has a favorable shape. Dentures require a high level of skill from the doctor and some dentists have more experience than others and specialize in replacing teeth with dentures.
Lower Dentures are not as Stable as Upper Dentures
Lower Denture teeth do not usually fit as well as upper ones. The lower jaw is smaller and has the tongue to deal with.
Finding a Dentist who Specializes in Dentures is Important
A very important part of getting dentures to work well is fitting the teeth so they hit evenly top to bottom and left to right when chewing food. Another important part of denture function is getting the height of the teeth to be proper. If the teeth are too tall they will not look good, sound good or feel very comfortable. Replacing teeth with dentures seems like a simple cheap solution, but getting dentures to work well is anything but simple. The most important part of denture success is finding a dentist who is experienced with dentures and who will take the time to make the best set of teeth possible.
At least 2 implants is Very Important to Stabilize Lower Denture Teeth
Most of the time, lower dentures do not work very well without implants. On the contrary, lower dentures with two implants and locator attachments work very well. Implants with dentures are also called snap on dentures because the dentures literally snap into and onto the implants like a snap on a pair of jeans.
Dentures are very easy to Clean
Obviously, right. They are removable. All a denture wearer needs to do is remove the denture and clean it. That is it, right? No, you still need to brush the gums and any implants, but no flossing is necessary and food particles can be easily rinsed out.
Dentures are still a teeth replacement alternative to implants. They are used to restore both function and aesthetics. Dentures are custom-fabricated to fit your mouth and match the appearance of your natural teeth. The fit of your dentures may be adjusted as needed to ensure comfort and proper function. Over time, jaw bone will be lost under dentures. As jaw bone is lost, gums shrink and dentures can stop fitting. As dentures stop fitting, dentures can be re-fitted with reline procedures to refit the dentures to accommodate jaw and mouth shrinkage.
Without Teeth or Implants Bone Loss will Become a Problem
Dental implants prevent bone loss by replacing lost root structure. Implants stimulate the bone as implants are used to support chewing forces. If people lose too much bone it can be difficult is not impossible to replace bone for implant teeth replacement.
Complete dentures replace the full upper or lower set of teeth. Partial dentures are used to replace one or more teeth when some natural teeth remain. This prevents teeth from shifting into the space left by missing teeth.