Many people rely on dentures to regain their lost dental function and to feel confident enough to smile. Losing teeth later on in life is a common occurrence and despite treatment advances and modern prevention techniques, a lot of people will continue to experience tooth loss as they get older. While dentures are effective, they do have some disadvantages and the most serious one is their inability to prevent jawbone deterioration, which is a very common problem associated with tooth loss.
The health of your bones depends on your chewing ability and the forces applied to your teeth, which stimulates growth replacement in older bone cells. Once you lose your teeth, this type of stimulation will no longer be present because dentures are unable to replicate the stimulus. In some cases, dentures can even accelerate bone loss because they may irritate the bone under the gums as they rest upon them for support. This may sound concerning and while it can be hard to process this information, you’ll be happy to know that a recent advance in denture technology has made it possible to slow down potential bone loss and, in some cases, prevent it altogether. Incorporating implants with dentures is what has made this a possibility and the creation of these two hybrid alternatives is not only more secure for the supporting bone but healthier, too.
There are two possibilities you can consider and the first one is known as an overdenture, which is a removable appliance that is very similar to a traditional denture but attaches to three or four implants that have permanently been set into the jawbone as opposed to deriving its support from just the gums alone. This appliance will increase stability and because the implants are made of bone-friendly titanium, they will attract and foster increased bone growth around them. This will help slow down the cycle of bone loss that is a result of missing teeth and may even stop it from occurring completely.
The second possibility is a fixed denture in which four to six implants are implanted around the jaw arch and the denture is then secured in place through these implants with screws. While this option is more secure, it is also more expensive and the patient must have good quality bone at the implant sites in order for it to be a success. Some patients may require bone grafting to build up the implant sites for either of these options, so if you don’t want traditional dentures, you can ask your dentist if you are a suitable candidate for an implant-supported denture, which provides better support and decreases the risk of continuing bone loss.
Slipacoff Dental in Sarnia can help answer more questions regarding these options and our professional and experienced dentists can take care of every one of your needs. Whether you need dental crowns, invisible braces, teeth implants, veneers, teeth whitening or a dental bridge, we do it all, so contact us today!