Dentures aren’t something most people think about until they’ve lost at least some of their teeth and are considering their teeth replacement options. They’re certainly a reliable choice, as they’ve been around for centuries. Archaeologists have discovered dentures dating all the way back to the 7th century BC.
Dentures improve your quality of life in several important ways:
- They enable you to eat your favorite foods, something that can be hard to do with missing teeth.
- They make you feel better about your smile. You’ll smile more often if you have a full mouthful of teeth.
- They help preserve your facial structure. If you lose multiple teeth, your facial muscles begin to sag over time, making you look older.
Today’s dentures are nothing like the famous ones worn by President George Washington, of course. (You can see them on display at his Mount Vernon Estate.) Thanks to high-quality materials and modern manufacturing techniques, dentures now look more like natural teeth. And they’re durable and comfortable, too.
The latest advance in dentures is attaching them to dental implants. Our Attleboro, MA dentists offer this option at Attleboro Family Dental Care. For more information, call 508-222-2510.
Dental Implant Dentures Offer Stability, Other Benefits
There are many reasons dental implant dentures make sense. For one, they stay put in your mouth. Traditional dentures rest on your gums. Your mouth’s natural suction, usually supplemented with an adhesive, keeps them in place. Sometimes, though, they slip.
This is a particular problem in your lower jaw, which moves more than the upper jaw. In addition, your tongue comes into frequent contact with your dentures in your lower jaw. And you just don’t have as much suction.
Because dental implants are embedded in your jawbone, they’ll keep your dentures from moving around. In addition to this enhanced stability, dental implant dentures are:
- Convenient. No adhesives needed! And depending on which types of dentures you choose, you can keep them clean by brushing and flossing them just like your natural teeth.
- Better for your oral health. Because dental implants stimulate your jaw in a way similar to your natural tooth roots, you won’t experience the rapid bone loss that can occur with traditional dentures. This bone loss not only makes your face look older; it negatively impacts your dental health.
- Better for your bite. Dental implant dentures give you a stronger bite than conventional dentures. So you can enjoy your favorite meals.
Dental Implant Dentures Are Versatile
Implant dentures are a versatile tooth replacement. We can attach either partial dentures or full dentures to dental implants. You can also choose dentures that you can remove from implants yourself or dentures that are permanently attached to your implants so only a dentist can remove them.
These two types of implant dentures are:
- Implant-retained dentures. These dentures are attached to your dental implants in a way that allows you to remove them, for cleaning or other reasons. This type of dental implant denture often requires fewer implants than implant-supported dentures.
- Implant-supported dentures. These dentures remain attached to your dental implants at all times. You clean your dentures just like your other teeth, by brushing and flossing. If more thorough cleaning is needed, we’ll remove your dentures and do it for you.
Are Dental Implant Dentures for Me?
Our Attleboro, MA dentists are happy to meet with you and evaluate you for dental implant dentures. Among the factors they’ll consider:
- Your age.
- Your overall health. Conditions such as osteoporosis and diabetes can impair osseointegration, the process during which your jawbone grows around a dental implant.
- Your lifestyle. Smoking increases the risk of dental implant failure.
- Condition of your jawbone. Your jaw needs to be strong enough to support dental implants. That can be an issue if you’ve ever had your jaw treated with radiation or if you have osteoporosis.
- Number of missing teeth and condition of your remaining teeth.
We use sophisticated 3D imaging technology to get a good look at your facial anatomy. It helps us determine the strength of your bone and foresee any other possible complications. It also helps us find the best possible locations for placement of your dental implants.
While a strong jaw is important, you may still be a candidate for dental implant dentures even if your jawbone is thin. We may be able to use mini dental implants, which function like their full-size counterparts and offer many of the same benefits. Because they’re smaller than full-size implants, we can place them in areas that won’t support full-size ones.
We also have an oral surgeon on staff who can perform procedures designed to improve your bone density:
- Bone graft. He’ll place material designed to encourage bone growth at the implant site.
- Ridge augmentation. He’ll restore the natural contour of your jaw.
- Sinus lift. He’ll add bone mass to your upper jaw.
For more information on dental implant dentures, call Attleboro Family Dental Care at 508-222-2510 or use our online form to make an appointment.
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