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Planning and Preparing for Dental Procedures: Your Questions Answered


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Planning and Preparing for Dental Procedures: Your Questions Answered

Making decisions about your smile can be confusing. Should you have a tooth pulled or get a root canal? Should you get adult braces or stick with a retainer? Should you use at-home whitening remedies or have your teeth professionally whitened? If questions like these are keeping you up at night, you've come to the right place. I used to stress out over routine dental procedures, and as a result, I did loads of research on everything dental-related. To help others, I'm using this blog as a place to collect, review and share what I've learned through the years. I hope you can use the information here to help you plan and prepare for your next dental appointment.

3 Reasons To Choose Dental Implants Over Dentures

If you need to have missing teeth replaced you may be wondering whether to opt for dentures or implants. Dentures consist of porcelain teeth attached to a plastic plate that fits over your gums. Dental implants consist of porcelain teeth attached to titanium rods that are screwed into your gums.

The rods fuse with your jawbone, so implants offer a secure and permanent way to replace missing teeth, while dentures can be removed and can loosen over time. Here are three reasons to choose dental implants over dentures:

1. Implants Allow You To Eat Whatever You Want

Wearing dentures can limit the foods you're able to enjoy as biting into some foods can dislodge your dentures, which many wearers find embarrassing. Chewing hard foods can also cause your dentures to rub against your gums, leaving them inflamed. Additionally, food particles can get stuck underneath your dentures and cause a build-up of bacteria. Dental implants enable you to eat whatever you want without risk of the implants moving, so you can bite down on nutritionally-dense apples or enjoy a sticky, chewy treat without worry.

Implants Can Prevent Bone Loss

When you lose teeth, the bone that supported those teeth begins to disintegrate. This bone loss is the reason people with missing teeth sometimes have sagging skin around their mouth as without the supporting bone structure, your facial muscles can begin to droop. Wearing dentures doesn't stop bone erosion, but dental implants can. The titanium used in implants is the only artificial material that can stimulate your bone like your teeth once did, and living bone can't remain healthy without stimulation.

Implants Can Boost Your Self-Confidence

Denture wearers can feel self-conscious about the appearance of their dentures and worry that other people will be able to tell they are wearing dentures. This is not an unrealistic concern as the plastic frame that fits over your gums can look artificial. Additionally, if you wear a partial set of dentures, the frame may not exactly match the colour of your gums.

With implants, the titanium rods are undetectable as they are fully inserted into your gums. The porcelain teeth can be made to match the colour of your existing teeth, so they look natural and you can smile with the reassurance that no-one will know your teeth have been replaced.

If you have missing teeth or currently wear dentures and would like to find out more about dental implants, schedule an appointment with your dentist for a consultation.