Dentures are the traditional way to replace missing teeth. They aren’t necessarily the best way. Even so, it’s good to understand all of your options, which is why we thought we’d take a moment to run through the different types of dentures.
Partial Dentures
You can have dentures even if you aren’t missing all of your teeth. If this is the case, partial dentures are the answer. Partial dentures are typically used to replace back teeth (bridges are typically used to replace teeth in the front of the mouth). Unlike a bridge, partial dentures are removable.
Partial dentures place prosthetic teeth on an acrylic base. The base is gum-colored for cosmetic reasons. The partial dentures are then affixed to your normal teeth via a small clasp, which winds around your good teeth and holds the dentures in place.
Partials can be a bit awkward and uncomfortable, and can irritate your gums just as full dentures can. Even partial dentures may become embarrassing when you try to eat or speak. And you’ll have to remove these dentures at night…they cannot be worn 24/7.
Traditional, Full Dentures
These are the dentures your grandparents probably wore. These dentures can be used to replace all of your teeth. They are also meant to be removed at night.
Traditional dentures come with a lot of problems. They quite obviously slip about when you eat or speak. They can make your mouth incredibly sore. They can even produce more saliva, which can cause even more embarrassing incidents. These are all of the reasons why traditional dentures have very much fallen out of favor with specialists and other dental practitioners.
Implant-Supported Dentures
Some dentists attempt to offset the problems that come with traditional dentures by using dental implants to support them.
There are three different methods which can be used.
Ball attachment dentures are attached to two implants which are placed into your lower jaw. Bar attachment dentures place 4-6 implants in the jaw, and then place a support bar between each denture in order to give the denture a sturdier support system to snap onto.
Both of these methods allow and require you to remove the dentures for cleaning each night. You could also get a screw type semi-permanent denture. These attach to five or more implants which are screwed into place. You have to be careful about cleaning beneath the denture, since you still very much are placing a denture. You will, however, leave these dentures in your mouth 24/7. Your dentist will remove them for a deep cleaning when you make your regular visits.
Implant Supported Crowns (Dental Implants): A Better Way
Here at Revitalize Dental Implants we do not offer dentures because we believe implants are a far superior option. If we weren’t committed to giving you all the information you need to make an informed decision, then we wouldn’t even be talking about dentures right now.
Implant-supported crowns are far superior because they actually replace your existing teeth. There’s no soreness. There’s no slippage. And unless something goes wrong, dental implants are never removed.
If you’re worried about the cost of dental implants, then know that we can offset these costs with the All-on-4 procedure. This procedure places 4 crowns on one implant post. This may even be cheaper than some forms of implant-supported dentures, which may need up to 5 implants per jaw to begin with. If you had to replace every tooth in your mouth, then using that form of denture could require 10 implants.
Meanwhile, we could just use crowns and do it all on 8 implants. The post, not the crown, is generally the expensive part. Meanwhile, an implant-supported denture will simply never be as stable as crowns attached to implants in a way that mimics your natural teeth. That’s why we feel implant-supported crowns are the only reasonable option.
