Upper False Teeth Options
For those who have begun to lose teeth, the issue of tooth replacement can quickly become quite complex. While conventional dentures seem like the usual solution, there are in fact multiple and varied ways to replace teeth these days, all with their own unique benefits and drawbacks. If you are in the market for a new set of upper teeth, you may have questions about which replacement option is best for you. Read on to learn more about your options.
Dentures
Conventional Dentures and Bridges
Conventional dentures have been a traditional method of tooth replacement for a long time. Not only were they your grandma or grandpa’s best option for replacing missing teeth, they also replaced teeth in our ancestors as early as 2500 BC. In the early days, they were made out of animal teeth – throughout the years, materials shifted to include wire, wood, ivory, and even lead.
For quite some time now, conventional dentures have been made of much safer and easy-wearing materials like acrylic and dental composite. While a full set of conventional dentures can replace all of one’s teeth, they can also replace a single arch, so if you are looking to replace your top teeth only, an upper arch is a solution to explore.
Partial Dentures
Partial dentures are much like conventional dentures but are used in cases where not all of one’s teeth are missing. In contrast to a full arch of conventional dentures, partial dentures can replace three or four or even thirteen teeth. They are created with a space left to accommodate the existing tooth so that it doesn’t have to be pulled.
Traditional Bridges
Like partial dentures, traditional bridges are also an option for those who aren’t missing all of their teeth. One important difference, though, is that while partial dentures can replace a large number of missing teeth in various locations throughout the arch, traditional bridges can only replace one or two teeth that are next to each other in the mouth.
Traditional bridges also require teeth to be present around the missing teeth to be replaced, as they rely on neighboring teeth to provide necessary support to keep them in place. Traditional bridges can be made to be either fixed (permanent) or removable, depending on one’s preference.
Benefits and Drawbacks of Conventional Dentures and Bridges
Conventional dentures, partial dentures, and traditional bridges can all be suitable ways to replace upper teeth. They are established forms of tooth replacement that keep getting better as more improvements are made, and they are also reasonably affordable and quickly made. They do not require any sort of surgical intervention to be created or placed, in contrast to some of the other forms of tooth replacement available today.
However, conventional dentures and bridges can also be less comfortable, functional, and durable than the implant-retained versions that you’ll read about in the next section. Conventional and partial dentures tend to move around more in one’s mouth while eating and talking, which can be awkward and even painful if you bite down on a dislodged denture. Dental adhesives can help, but these introduce other potential drawbacks. Conventional and partial dentures also have to be removed at night and soaked in a special cleaning solution to keep them fresh and clean, which can be a drawback for some.
While they are affordable and quick to make, they have a shorter lifespan and generally require more maintenance, which is why many of today’s clients opt for implant-retained dentures and bridges instead of conventional dentures and bridges.
Implant-Retained Dentures and Bridges
Implant-Retained Dentures and Bridges
Implant-retained dentures are a streamlined version of conventional dentures that rely upon the structure of dental implants to hold them in place. First, dental implant fixtures are installed below the gumline into the jaw, where they are then given time to meld with the bone. A few months later, when that process is complete, a connecting piece is attached to the implant fixture; at that point, an implant-retained denture can be snapped into place. There are male and female ends on the connecting pieces and the dentures that correspond, so taking implant-retained dentures in and out is quite easy – for this reason they are frequently called “snap-in-dentures.”
Unlike conventional dentures, implant-retained dentures are thus held in place by as few as two and more commonly four or six dental implants per arch (hence another common name for implant-retained dentures; the “all-on-four” refers to the four implants that support the denture).
Implant-retained bridges are much the same as implant-retained dentures, except that they replace fewer teeth. As such, they may also require fewer dental implants to hold them in place.
Benefits and Drawbacks of Implant-Retained Dentures and Bridges
Because small metal posts embedded into the jaw mimic the function of dental roots and hold the implant-retained dentures in place, there is no need for the bulky acrylic base that conventional dentures need for support. As such, implant-retained dentures have a slimmer profile, are more comfortable to wear, and are more attractive looking than conventional dentures.
The prosthetic roots provided by the implant fixture can also help support good oral bone health, in that it stimulates the jawbone much like the roots of existing teeth do. This means that dental implants can help preserve the bone mass that one currently has, which helps fight off a sunken in facial appearance that so often comes about with tooth loss.
At the same time, though, good candidates for implant-retained dentures and bridges must have enough healthy bone mass for the procedure to be successful; this means that those who have been missing teeth for many years will have to be screened carefully to ensure that they are viable candidates.
Furthermore, implant-retained dentures and bridges are durable forms of tooth replacement that are meant to last for decades, but this also means that they are an investment; not just of time but of money. While those who opt for implant-retained dentures are generally more happy with them than the users of conventional dentures or bridges are, those benefits come at some expense.
For more information about which form of tooth replacement is best for you, call our office today to set up a personalized consultation.