Dental Implants Existing Partial
While traditional dentures have been a common treatment option for patients with missing teeth, they also come with a variety of frustrating qualities, which include frequently slipping, causing discomfort, limiting the types of foods a person can enjoy, and increased feelings of self-consciousness, especially in social situations. If you have missing teeth or are a current user of traditional dentures and tired of dealing with these issues, you may be a good candidate for dentures combined with dental implants.
To provide greater stability, increase your chewing forces, and eliminate many of the issues previously mentioned, your periodontist may recommend having a dental implant or multiple dental implants placed. Once these implants are in place and have completed the osseointegration process, your dentures can snap directly onto the titanium posts, providing you with a more stable, sturdy, and natural feeling solution. To learn more about combining dentures with dental implants, please refer to the following.
Dental Implants Combined With Dentures Procedural Steps
An initial evaluation will be necessary to determine if you are a good candidate for dental implants. In some cases, patients may have already lost too much jawbone to support a dental implant, in which case a bone graft may need to be performed first. This evaluation will also include a number of diagnostic exams to determine the number of implants needed and the optimal placement of those implants.
If you have been scheduled for placement of dental implants, the procedure will begin with administration of a local anesthetic and dental sedation, if necessary. Once you are numb, your periodontist will drill a hole into your jawbone and place the titanium implant into this hole. Over the next several months, this post will naturally fuse with your jawbone. Once it has, you will return to have your custom prosthesis attached to the post. This prosthesis will be designed in accordance with your treatment goals and made to look and feel just like your natural teeth.
Benefits of Dentures Combined With Dental Implants
If you have been considering dentures combined with dental implants, but are not sure if the procedure is really worth the time and cost involved, consider the following benefits you will enjoy once the procedure is complete, which include:
- Greater stability: One of the biggest differences between traditional dentures and dental implants is stability. Once the post has finished fusing with your jawbone, your new crown can be attached to it, resulting in a much stronger fit than traditional dentures.
- Stronger: In addition to providing greater stability, dental implants restore the strength of your bite to approximately the same strength as your natural teeth. This increased strength will allow you to enjoy a wider variety of foods and improve your ability to chew and digest the foods you eat.
- Affordable: While the initial cost of having dental implants placed is greater than dentures, once they are in place the dental implants will last considerably longer than traditional dentures, which frequently need to be refitted. As such, patients with traditional dentures end up having to spend more money and schedule more frequent visits.
- Looks and feels natural: One of the biggest reasons dental implants have such a high patient satisfaction rate is because they look and feel just like your natural teeth, so much so that most people will not even be able to tell your dental implant apart from the rest of your natural teeth.
- Preserves the health of your jawbone: One of the biggest drawbacks to traditional dentures is that they do not stimulate your jawbone, which results in further bone deterioration. Dental implants eliminate this issue and provides the stimulation necessary to prevent the jawbone from decaying. This in turn significantly reduces your risk of developing other oral health issues, such as additional tooth loss and periodontitis.
Importance of Selfcare
While you may need to have your dental implants and dentures replaced over time due to natural wear and tear, there are a number of things you can do to extend the longevity of your dental implants and dentures, which include the following:
- Avoid or limit sugary drinks. If you do have a drink that is sugary, using a straw will significantly limit the exposure of the sugary liquid to the rest of your mouth. It is also recommended to rinse your mouth with water after eating or drinking sugary drinks.
- Eat a balanced diet and avoid or limit foods that are high in sugars or carbs and limit or avoid use of tobacco products.
- Do not engage in risky behavior like opening packages with your teeth. Engaging in this type of behavior seriously increases your risk of chipping or damaging your dental implant and natural teeth.
- If you frequently engage in high impact activities such as sports, or if you have bruxism or TMJ, schedule an appointment for a custom mouth and/or night guard. Wearing these guards during these activities or while you sleep can prevent additional wear and tear of your dental implants and natural teeth.
- Remove and clean thoroughly clean your dentures each night.
- Schedule periodontal exams at least every six months. If the underlying reason why you needed a dental implant placed was due to periodontal disease, you may want to schedule these evaluations every three or four months. During these appointments, your periodontist will perform a professional cleaning that involves specialized equipment to remove plaque that cannot be removed with normal brushing methods.
Schedule a Consultation
Hopefully this overview has given you helpful information about dental implants and dentures and what steps you can take to prolong their lifespan and enjoy good oral health. If you have additional questions about dental implants and dentures, schedule an appointment with your periodontist today. During this exam, they will conduct a thorough evaluation of your oral health and take diagnostic exams to determine which treatment options are available to you. This consultation will also allow them to provide their professional opinion as to which treatment option is best suited to your needs and treatment goals and answer any additional questions you may have.