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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 Dental Implants Trump Dentures

21 November 2016
 Categories: Dentist, Blog

Dentures and implants do the same basic job in that they replace missing teeth, but there are key differences between the two options. With dentures, the plate the teeth are attached to is made of plastic, and this plastic plate remains visible when you are wearing the dentures. Implants consist of porcelain teeth attached to titanium rods. The rods cannot be seen as they are screwed into your gums. Implants aren't removed when you go to sleep and, over time, the rods fuse with your jawbone so the porcelain teeth are permanently secured in place. Conversely, the plastic plate of your dentures can loosen as a result of being removed on a daily basis, and this can cause it to rub against your delicate gum tissue. If you're not sure if implants are right for you, consider these three reasons dental implants trump dentures:

You Can Eat What You Want Without Worrying

Dentures can become dislodged if you bite into hard foods, such as an apple, so denture wearers often avoid eating certain foods to avoid embarrassment. Additionally, eating food that requires lots of chewing can cause your dentures to rub against your gums and irritate them. As implants are screwed into your gums, you can eat anything you like without having to worry. Nutritionally-dense snacks, such as raw carrot sticks, and chewy bakery treats can be enjoyed knowing your dental implants are secure.

They Protect Against Bone Loss

You can experience bone loss in your jaw when you have missing teeth. This occurs due to the loss of support to the bone, which isn't being stimulated by the teeth you've lost. The bone no longer has a role, so it can begin to disintegrate and your facial muscles can droop as a result. Dentures can improve the appearance of sagging skin due to unsupported facial muscles, but they don't offer any support or stimulation to the jawbone. The implants with attached crowns can prevent bone loss by continuing to provide stimulation to the healthy, living bone that remains.

Your Self-Confidence Can Grow

As dentures have a plastic plate, denture wearers can worry that the unnatural look of the plate will make it obvious they are wearing dentures. This can cause some people to cover their mouth when they laugh or keep their mouth closed when they smile. With implants, the porcelain teeth will be the same colour as the rest of your teeth. Only the porcelain teeth are visible when you have implants, so the fact your teeth are not all natural will be between you and your dentist.

Whether you've only recently lost some teeth or are a long-term denture wearer, your dentist will be happy to discuss the process of having dental implants fitted.