Having missing teeth can be an embarrassing problem, which often harms a person's sense of self-confidence and makes them feel shy about smiling or showing their teeth. People with missing teeth also often suffer from discomfort, problems biting or chewing and trouble speaking. Luckily, there are a number of treatment options that can help you overcome the issue and restore the appearance of a healthy smile. In this sense, both dentures and dental implants could hold the key to overcoming your embarrassing issue and giving you back the confidence you need face the world head on. However, the fact that there are a number of major differences between dental implants and dentures makes it important that you understand the benefits and drawbacks of each tooth replacement solution in order to choose the best treatment for your specific situation.
Understanding the Differences between Dental Implants and Dentures
Dentures and dental implants are the two primary solutions to tooth loss, and both can be a great choice for restoring a healthy, natural looking smile. However, dental implants offer a more permanent, lower maintenance solution, which is why more and more people are beginning to choose them over dentures. Dental implants also tend to be far more comfortable and also provide a more natural look.
As you're probably aware, dentures are removable false teeth that are designed to fit directly over your gums. Although they're typically held in place with paste or adhesive strips and need to be removed each night and fully cleaned before re-affixing them again in the morning. Unfortunately, the adhesive isn't always fool-proof, and many people suffer from embarrassing problems with their dentures slipping down and not wanting to stay in place.
Dentures can also be quite uncomfortable, and most people tend to suffer quite a bit of pain and discomfort in their gums and mouth until they become fully accustomed to wearing their dentures. Furthermore, despite numerous advancements in technology and materials, the fact remains that most dentures are still noticeable and don't quite look like the real thing.
Compared to dentures, dental implants are a permanent, non-removable solution to tooth loss that can be used to replace one, a few or all of your teeth. With implants, a metal post is attached directly to the jaw to provide a solid, permanent base for the replacement teeth to be anchored to. After the posts are in place, the dentist then attaches natural-looking crowns that replicate both the look and function of your real teeth.
Benefits and Drawbacks of Dental Implants
There is no doubt that dental implants look and function more realistically and are also easier to maintain since you can brush them just like your normal teeth. However, this doesn't necessarily mean that implants are the best choice for every situation. The fact that implants offer a permanent solution to missing teeth means that they tend to be more expensive, especially as securing the metal rods to the jawbone requires minor surgery. This surgery also means it takes some time to fully heal and recover after having the implants put in—although dentures also tend to cause pain and discomfort for quite some time.
Although implants may be more expensive, the fact is that they can actually help you to avoid future dental problems in the long run. Compared to dentures, implants can help to preserve the integrity and structure of your jaw bone. When you lose your teeth, the gums and jawbone can eventually begin to deteriorate due to the lack of supporting root structure. The metal rods help to replace some of this root structure, which provides additional support to the jaw to help prevent these other issues.
By preventing jaw deterioration, dental implants can help to preserve your facial structure while at the same time providing a replacement that looks more natural and functions almost exactly like your real teeth. In fact, as soon as you've fully healed from the procedure, you will soon forget that the implants are even there. Unfortunately, this is virtually never the case with dentures, and no matter what you do, you'll always feel some awkwardness and discomfort with dentures.
The truth is that dental implants are almost always the preferred solution to missing teeth. However, the only way to know if implants are right for you is to schedule an appointment to speak with your dentist. For this reason, we invite you to contact our dentist in Reseda, CA for a consultation and to see how dental implants can help restore your confidence and once again give you a healthy, natural looking smile.