Dental Implants Existing Partial
Patients who have partial or full dentures are often faced with a series of difficult issues, such as, “How much denture glue will I need to secure my teeth?” and, “Will I have to limit my diet” or, “Will my friends notice the clicking sound that happens when I chew and speak?” You may also find yourself frequently frustrated with issues like sore spots forming on your gums due to your dentures rubbing against them or a noticeable change in the physical appearance of your face.
If you have been struggling with these or other issues that are commonly attributed to traditional dentures, then you may be a good candidate for combining dentures with dental implants. To learn more about the dental implant for existing partials, please refer to the following.
Benefits of Dentures Combined With Dental Implants
Combining dentures with dental implants can be a wonderful treatment option for patients who are missing most or all of their natural teeth, either due to injury or an underlying dental condition. This approach provides a more versatile and stable treatment alternative to conventional dentures, which are prone to slip out of place, can cause a great deal of discomfort, and require a significant amount of maintenance. To eliminate this instability and constant slipping, snap in dentures connect to a dental implant that is placed in your jawbone and is designed to keep your snap-in denture in place. The number of implants required to support your denture will depend on how many teeth are missing.
There are many benefits to combining dentures with dental implants, such as:
- Stability: Dentures that connect to an implant are significantly more stable than traditional dentures, which frequently slip out of place, especially while talking or eating. One of the biggest changes people notice when they transition from traditional dentures to implant-supported dentures is how much more stable their new denture is.
- Stronger chewing forces: Where traditional dentures severely limit the types of foods one can enjoy as well as their ability to properly chew foods, implant-supported dentures significantly increase an individual’s chewing force, which results in you being able to enjoy a wide variety of foods and to chew those foods properly.
- Affordability: Although more expensive than traditional dentures, implant-supported dentures are more cost affordable than having full mouth reconstruction or permanent dentures placed.
- Comfortable look and feel: Snap-in dentures are much more comfortable than conventional dentures because they cause less friction against the gums. They also look more like your natural teeth.
- Preserves oral health: Bone loss is one of the biggest issues associated with traditional dentures. Because the dentures do not stimulate the jawbone, it will begin to deteriorate over time, which increases the risk of additional tooth loss and other oral health issues developing. Jawbone deterioration also alters the structure and physical appearance of one’s face, causing them to age in appearance. This also results in the dentures no longer fitting properly and needing to be adjusted.
Steps Involved In Getting Dental Implants Combined With Dentures
Prior to placement of your prosthesis, a small hole is drilled into the jawbone where the missing tooth or teeth is located. Once this hole is drilled, the implant, which is usually a small titanium rod, is placed. This rod will act as your new tooth’s root, though it will take some time for this post to fuse with the surrounding jawbone. Once it has, you will be ready to have the abutment and prosthesis placed. The reason titanium is most often used is because it is one of the only materials that is naturally accepted by the human body. Once the post has fully fused, a customized denture designed to fit your mouth and blend in with your remaining natural teeth will be made in a lab and attached to the connecting device, after which the implant-supported denture process will be complete.
Caring for Your Dental Implants and Dentures
One of the most important things a person can do to extend the lifespan of their dental implant is to take good care of their oral health at home. This extends beyond simply brushing and flossing daily (although it is very important to do those things). It is also important that you carefully remove and clean your dentures each night and store them properly.
Additional steps you can take to ensure the longevity of your implant-supported denture is to eat a diet that is well balanced and low in carbs and sugars. This also means eliminating or avoiding things like tobacco use or drinking sugary drinks. If you do drink sugary drinks, you should always use a straw, as this limits exposure to the rest of your mouth. It is also important to rinse your mouth after every meal and to avoid using your teeth to open bags or gnaw on pencils. Additionally, patients who engage in high physical activity should invest in a customized guard.
Another important thing a person can do to prolong the lifespan of their dental implant and enjoy good oral is to schedule regular examinations with your periodontist. On average, these evaluations and cleanings should be scheduled every six months, unless you have a history of periodontal disease, in which case periodontal maintenance may be suggested every three or four months.
Finding an Expert to Combine Dentures with Dental Implants
If you have been considering getting overdentures or have any remaining questions about what is involved in the overdenture procedure and whether you are a good candidate for this procedure, contact your periodontist today. They can perform a thorough evaluation of your overall oral health to determine if you are a good candidate for dental implants combined with dentures. This appointment will also be a good opportunity for you to discuss your treatment goals, learn what kind of costs to anticipate, and ask any remaining questions you may have about this procedure. This will also give your periodontist an opportunity to suggest alternative treatment options that may be better suited to your specific needs.
Metal Allergies with Dental Implants