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Do you think your teeth are unattractive? Are you finding it hard to eat? Do your teeth hurt? Sometimes the best solution for these tooth problems is to remove teeth and replace them with more comfortable and healthier replacement teeth. Whether you have just one problematic tooth or a whole mouthful of tooth problems, you have two good options to restore your teeth and your smile: dentures and dental implants.
The Anchorage implant dentists at Excellence in Dentistry can evaluate your teeth and help you decide what is the best tooth restoration option for you. No matter what you choose, you will enjoy a healthy and attractive tooth replacement. Dental implants offer improved function, greater comfort, and long-lasting results.
How Many Teeth Do You Need to Replace?
One thing that dentures and dental implants have in common is that they can replace any number of teeth to restore your smile. Whether you need to replace just one tooth, a few teeth, or an entire arch of teeth (all the teeth on the top or bottom), both dentures and dental implants can serve the purpose.
Your Anchorage implant dentists can evaluate your teeth to determine which ones are causing problems and recommend the optimum number of replacements to give you back your beautiful, healthy smile.
Replace a Few Teeth with Implants or Partial Dentures
If you need to replace one or more teeth, but not an entire arch of teeth, dental implants and partial dentures are the solution you need.
With dental implants, your Anchorage implant dentist will design an implant solution that effectively replaces your damaged teeth. The dental implant is actually the replacement tooth root. This titanium root bonds with your jawbone to create a structure that is almost identical to a natural tooth root in appearance and function.
Atop the implant, your dentist will place an appropriate restoration. For replacing a single missing tooth, the dental implant will receive a strong attractive dental crown. However, if you have multiple teeth together that you need to restore, a dental bridge can replace multiple teeth when supported by two or more implants.
Partial dentures are removable tooth replacements. Replacement teeth are set in a plastic base with structures that use your remaining teeth to help hold the denture in place. Sometimes partial dentures have metal hooks and clasps to hold them in place. Other times, the retention structures are plastic or rubber. These are less rigid and less secure, but don’t cause as much damage to your natural teeth.
Full Dentures vs. All-on-4 Dental Implants
If you need to replace all the teeth in an arch (or both arches), your Anchorage dentists will recommend either full dentures or All-on-4 dental implants.
Full dentures are similar to partial dentures, except that they include a full arch of teeth and they don’t rely on natural teeth for support. Instead, these dentures use suction to hold them in place. The better your fit, the better the retention. Dental adhesive provides a weak stickiness, but it mostly helps by improving the suction. Suction is a weak force, and, needless to say, even the best-fitting full dentures move around a lot.
All-on-4 dental implants, also called implant bridges or implant dentures, are specially designed to replace an entire arch of teeth using just four dental implants. These four implants let you enjoy fully functional replacement teeth. You can choose between removable dentures that snap securely into place on the implants or fully fixed dentures that screw onto the implants. Both options let you enjoy all the benefits of dental implants.
Benefits of Dental Implants
Although both tooth replacement options work, dental implants offer many benefits, including:
- Full function for biting and chewing
- Better comfort
- Self-supporting
- Durability
- Support of gums and jawbone
Removable dentures limit your ability to bite and chew. You either have to limit your chewing, deal with dentures coming out of place, or just remove them for eating. Dental implants function like natural teeth and let you bite and chew normally. You can keep eating all your favorite foods without difficulty.
Dentures put pressure from biting and chewing on your gums. Your gums are soft tissue, not suited to the pressure, so they get sore. Dental implants direct pressure into the bones, which are strong enough to accept the pressure without soreness.
Removable partial dentures depend on your natural teeth for support. Metal hooks and clasps can scrape away at your teeth, leading to damage, and, eventually, more tooth loss. Even plastic structures accumulate plaque on your teeth, leading to more decay. Dental implants support themselves, so they put no extra strain on your natural teeth.
Dental implants can last a lifetime, though the crown or bridge might need to be replaced after 10-15 years. (However, some last 30 years or more!) Removable dentures are much less durable. They rarely last longer than eight years, and four is a more realistic lifespan for partial dentures made mostly of plastic. Expensive partial dentures made of metal can last longer.
Dental implants function like natural teeth. Because they bond to your jawbone, they stimulate the bone. Without stimulation, your body will remove bone it considers unnecessary, which can lead to a loss of jawbone. Jawbone loss leads to a shrinking face, an aged appearance, and an increased risk of a broken jawbone. Dental implants help you look younger longer.
Restore Your Smile in Anchorage
Are you tired of living with unattractive and uncomfortable teeth that make it hard to eat and almost impossible to smile? Let the Anchorage cosmetic dentists at Excellence in Dentistry help. We can recommend the best tooth replacement to give you back the health, beauty, and function of your teeth.
Please call (907) 349-0022 or use our online form to request an appointment at Excellence in Dentistry, serving Anchorage from our location at the corner of O’Malley and Old Seward Highway in South Anchorage.
