CTPROSTHETICS
Implants
During the last 20 years, dental implants have become a desirable alternative to other methods of replacing missing teeth. Excellent success rates and a range of available options give dentists a variety of new ways to treat and replace lost teeth.
Your dentist can evaluate your case and tell you if you are a candidate for dental implants. Structurally, a dental implant is a titanium-based cylinder that replaces the missing tooth root. After a period of time, other parts are placed on the implant to enable your dentist to eventually place a crown (cap) on the implant. Implants can also be used to support full or partial dentures, dramatically improving denture retention and stability.
Most patients with adequate bone mass can have implants, although it varies among individuals. Typically an x-ray and CT-scan are performed to determine if you have enough bone to place the implant, as well as to verify the size and kind of implant that should be placed.
Benefits of Dental Implants
When compared to fixed bridges and removable dentures supported by other teeth or gum tissue, implants offer numerous advantages:
- Aesthetically Pleasing
Since implants are placed in the gum similar to the way a natural tooth is supported, they offer a more realistic and natural look compared to other alternatives. - Reduction of bone resorption
When a tooth is lost, the supporting bone structure gradually recedes. Placing an implant in that empty space significantly reduces the speed of bone resorption and provides stability for this valuable tissue. - Retention
Patients who have experienced removable full or partial dentures know that keeping their dentures in place is always a challenge. Dental implants offer a great improvement to denture retention for all patients. In some cases the denture can be secured to a group of implants with special screws that stabilize the denture completely. - Preserving natural tooth structure
Often the preferred method of replacing a single missing tooth is a bridge. Bridges require extra preparation for the surrounding teeth to ultimately connect 3 or more teeth. This negatively impacts your health by making the task of retaining your teeth more difficult and by often requiring the destruction of existing tooth structure to create room for the new bridge. An implant is mostly an independent unit and does not negatively affect the adjacent teeth.
Dentures
Though many advances have been made in the field of dentistry, loss of teeth is still an ongoing problem In the United States, 26% of adults between the ages of sixty-five and seventy-five have lost all of their teeth. Currently, there are a number of options available for people who have lost their teeth. One of the most versatile and affordable is a set of removable dentures.
Standard Full Dentures
Standard full dentures are ones that comprise a full set of upper and lower teeth. This type of denture uses suction to stay in place. They are made of a pliable material which makes suction easy. However, it is for this reason that standard full dentures require routine visits to the dentist. Being pliable, the dentures are susceptible to shrinkage, thus creating an ill-fitting prosthetic that will result in the atrophy of the jawbone.
Partial Dentures
Partial dentures are dentures that replace only a limited number of teeth, and not an entire set. Partial dentures are a single piece fitting that is supported by the remaining teeth and gums. They are much more secure than standard full dentures, and are more comfortable.
Cosmetic Dentures
Cosmetic Dentures, as you can imagine, are made to look as natural as possible. Unlike standard dentures that use a heat curing process which leads to dentures that become ill-fitting over time, cosmetic dentures are made from a special acrylic base that eliminates the possibility of the denture shrinking and warping.
Furthermore, some cosmetic dentures achieve a natural appearance through the use of implants. Implants are installed in the mouth so that the dentures have something to hold onto. The cosmetic denture will either rest on or snap onto the implant. What this does is allow the denture to stay in place without the chance of it moving around, which makes the denture more comfortable than a standard one.
The loss of teeth and some of the expensive treatment options available need not prevent you from continuing to lead a healthy and happy life. Removable dentures are a suitable course of treatment for many people. You deserve to give yourself the best treatment possible.