If you are looking to replace one or more missing teeth, there are two main options – Dentures and Dental Implants
Dentures and dental implants each have their own advantages and disadvantages, so it is important that you discuss your options in detail with your dentist.
Dentures and dental implants ultimately serve the same purposes. They:
- Help you chew foods you might otherwise not be able to enjoy
- Support facial muscles
- Improve speech
- Increase self-esteem and reduce self-consciousness by giving you a beautiful smile
However, there are also significant differences between the two dental solutions. Here are some pros and cons for each approach that should be considered before you make a decision.
- Procedures
Dental implants require sufficient bone in which to place the implant, a hole is first drilled into the jawbone. A metal prosthetic root, called a post, is implanted deep into the bone. The post can then be fitted with a crown, bridge or denture depending on the number of teeth to be replaced. It can take three to six months until the post is ready to receive an abutment, the piece to which the crown will be fitted.
Dentures are made by first taking an impression of the upper or lower jaws or both if dentures are required on both jaws. The impressions will then be sent to the laboratory for the technician to start crafting your custom-made dentures. You will need to attend for four appointments spaced a week to ten days apart to allow the dentures to be made.
- Costs
Dental implants are more expensive than dentures intially, but may work out to be more cost effective in the long rum as dentures need to be replaced every 5-7 years, while the restoration on a dental implant should last 10 or more years.
- Maintenance
Care for dental implants is the same as that you would use on your natural teeth. This means brushing a least twice a day with a soft bristled brush, using interdental cleaning aids daily and having regular checkups.
Your dentures will need to brushed after every meal and be soaked in water or denture cleaning solution over night.
Because your bite changes over time, dentures will need to be refitted from time to time. Dental implants, on the other hand, are permanent fixtures that will only require replacement crowns if the original crowns become cracked or broken.
- Complications
Dental implants are usually safe and effective solutions to missing teeth but can present a range of complications, such as infection and mechanical problems (loose posts, cracked crowns).
The most common complications with dentures are the dentures not staying in place or sores (ulcerations) forming on the gums
Are you looking to replace your missing tooth or teeth? Visit us at Teeth & Smiles today to learn about how denture and dental implant treatments and how they can work for you. Our highly trained and experienced dentists are committed to providing treatments second to none. With us, achieving that great smile could not be easier! Call 020 7352 7049 to book your consultation today.