Popular as they are — and over half a million people in the United States alone get dental implants every year — dental implants aren’t your only choice when it comes to replacing missing teeth. Partial dentures, full dentures and dental bridges can accomplish the same goal and have served many people well. Dentures, bridges and implants have different advantages and disadvantages, though, and there are clear reasons that dental implants have risen above the crowd and noise to be the gold standard for replacing teeth.
If you’re ready to bid adieu to the negative consequences of tooth loss — your missing smile, your embarrassment, the changes to your face, the inability to eat your favourite foods, and the changes to your diet and nutritional health — here’s what you need to know to choose between getting bridges, dentures or dental implants in Okotoks. When you’re ready to take the next step away from your life of missing teeth, make an appointment with a dentist near you to discuss these alternative solutions.
What are the options for replacing teeth?
Dentures have restored tooth function and appearance for many patients, but at the cost of constant concern about those dentures slipping, shifting, or coming loose. Dentures may not restore your ability to eat all foods and require special maintenance.
Dental bridges are an effective cosmetic dentistry option that must be connected to healthy teeth in your jaw. For patients who would rather not alter their existing natural teeth, bridges are a less ideal solution than implants.
Implants are permanent, artificial roots made of titanium that are planted into your jaw bone, where they are accepted as new roots and trigger new bone growth.
Which alternative is best for you?
Each of dentures, bridges, and implants have advantages that make them appropriate for some patients and disadvantages that recommend other options. Here are six factors your dentist in Okotoks will discuss with you when helping you decide whether implants are a good option for you.
You’ll be able to chew more easily and effectively
Removable dentures improve your ability to chew by roughly 10 percent, but still leave it impossible to eat many foods without anxiety. On the other hand, getting dental implants near you can restore 90 percent of your naturally chewing ability.
You’ll be able to speak more clearly and even eat more satisfyingly
Your teeth play an essential role in helping you to pronounce sounds and to speak persuasively. They also contribute to your ability to taste and experience foods fully. Poorly fitting, loose, or badly maintained dentures do not solve the speaking problems related to tooth loss, but can make them worse. Dentures continue to limit your ability to eat and taste many foods, resulting in an altered diet.
Implants are maintenance-free (other than keeping up good daily habits!)
Preserving the lifespan of removable dentures requires daily maintenance. They also need to be re-lined every few years. That’s in addition to your ongoing oral hygiene and dental care. Maintaining implants is simply a matter of good oral hygiene habits (brushing, flossing, and mouthwash) and regular dental visits. They are otherwise maintenance-free.
With implants, you won’t need to have other teeth altered
Creating a bridge to replace one tooth means attaching it to — and removing existing and healthy material — from teeth on either side of that gap. Implants are tooth-specific, meaning your remaining healthy teeth do not need to be altered to accommodate it.
Implants may be the most cost-effective alternative
Even in the best case scenario, a well-maintained bridge needs to be replaced approximately every 15 years (and perhaps after five years). That involves a recurring cost in terms of time, disruption, and money. Implants are significantly more cost-effective on all those fronts, since they are permanent solutions that will never need replacing.
Implants preserve and protect the health of your jaw and shape of your face
Implants also trigger the growth of healthy bone tissue in your jaw to prevent bone loss that happens gradually the longer that you live without teeth and teeth roots. Dentures won’t reverse that bone loss or the sunken appearance that can develop in your face as a result. In fact, dentures can contribute to the deterioration of the jaw over time due to their constant contact with your gums.
For the right patient, implants offer a superior solution for tooth loss compared to bridges and dentures based on a consideration of these facts. Are you that patient? The first step to confirming that dental implants in Okotoks may solve the tooth loss issues that you’ve been tolerating is as simple as contacting a dental office near you.