Do Implants Really Improve Dentures?

Being a dentist, I often place and repair dentures for patients. That’s to be expected – tooth loss is a severe risk to your general oral health, and dentures allow for eating more than just soft foods. Still, many of my clients would benefit from more than just standard dentures. As such, I sometimes suggest that they add dental implants to their treatment. These prosthetic teeth work amazingly well with dentures. If you’d like to learn how that’s possible, I’d be happy to tell you. Read on to learn how implants work with dentures and implant dentures’ benefits.

Some Context: What are Dental Implants?

Before moving forward, it’s helpful to review what dental implants are. Doing so helps show what these restorations can do for dentures. With that said, let’s go over the basics a bit.

Put simply, dental implants are small, screw-like posts of titanium. We dentists set them in your jawbone to act as tooth roots. Once placed, they gradually fuse with your jaw and become permanent parts of your mouth. The result is that they form a foundation for later abutments and crowns.

Implants & Dentures Can Work Together

In reality, implants and dentures don’t have to act separately. I and other dentists can combine these two treatments effectively. When that happens, you get implant dentures.

Per their name, implant dentures are those secured with strategic implants. They attach and “snap on” to the metal posts to remain stable. Given that fact, oral surgeons can often create them from a patient’s already-existing dentures. However, sometimes the restorations must be made from the ground up.

Of course, implant dentures do have their own requirements. If you’ve been without teeth for a while, your dentist may need to perform a bone graft first. Similarly, they might have to extract any decayed teeth and allow a healing time of several months. You should also note that full implant fusion takes a while. You may want this process to finish before getting customized dentures.

What are the Benefits of Implant Dentures?

If you opt for implant dentures, you can expect a wide variety of perks. These include the following:

• Lifelike Smile – Implant dentures are very lifelike and use high-quality materials. Therefore, they’ll make your smile beautiful and functional.
• Strong Jawbone – Implant dentures stimulate your jawbone, preserving the latter’s bone density. This feature ensures your jaw remains strong for years to come.
• Easier Eating – Compared to alternatives, implant dentures greatly restore your bite force. They thus let you eat various foods quite easily.
• Low Maintenance – Implant dentures don’t slip or fall, so you won’t need to use adhesives or pastes. As long as you take them out for daily cleanings, you’ll be fine.
• Long Lifespan –  Implant dentures last longer than regular ones. In fact, their implants can reach a lifespan of twenty years or more with proper care.

Ultimately, you can trust implants to improve your denture treatment. They’ll only add to your smile’s beauty and security! Go ahead, then, and talk to your local dental provider about trying out implant dentures.