The different options have different treatment characteristics, so it’s important to carefully weigh all of the possibilities to choose the one that will be the best fit for you. Schedule a consultation at Imagine Family Dentistry to get more information on the possible interventions that may benefit you.
Patients who lose their teeth suffer various consequences. Of course, your smile is an important component of your appearance, so you may feel self-conscious if there’s an empty space left behind when teeth are lost. Your self-esteem and mood may be affected.
The aesthetic concerns are only one effect of tooth loss, however. Any remaining teeth in the smile or facial bones can be compromised as well. If a small number of teeth are lost, the remaining teeth may shift out of position or be subjected to stronger forces than normal.
Your upper and lower jaws will show signs of atrophy when the roots of the teeth are no longer there to anchor the bone tissue. This effect is more pronounced in edentulous patients (those who have lost all of their teeth), and it can make you look unnaturally old.
Your overall health can be affected by tooth loss, as well. If you lose a tooth and do not restore your smile, you won’t be able to chew as effectively. This is of particular concern for processing fresh fruits and vegetables, which tend to be more fibrous in addition to being more nutritious, and require stronger chewing forces.
Patients who have lost teeth have different treatment choices for restoring their smiles. They may opt for dental implants or conventional full or partial dentures. There are important distinctions between dental implants and conventional appliances.
Dental implants replicate both the root and crown structure of the lost teeth. They can be used to secure a restoration in any type of tooth loss scenario, from a single tooth to an entire arch. They require a surgical procedure for placement.
Conventional dentures (full and partial) replace only the absent crown portion of your tooth. They are custom-crafted to fit your mouth’s unique specifications and have a lifelike appearance.
If you choose conventional dentures, keep in mind that Imagine Family Dentistry features an in-house denture lab to minimize the time that patients need to wait to get fitted with their appliance.
Because they are structurally complete, dental implants are associated with a variety of benefits for patients.
Dental implants secure the jawbone, so its shape remains stable over time. An implant-supported appliance is less likely to lose its fit over time than a conventional one.
Implant-supported restorations stay in place. You don’t have to worry that your dentures will slide out at an inopportune time!
The root-like structure of the dental implant helps an implant-supported restoration feel more like a biological tooth.
The bond between bone and implant facilitates the implant’s capacity to withstand stronger forces when chewing, approximating the function of a biological tooth.
The cost of dentures will vary from patient to patient and will be influenced by a number of factors, such as the patient’s unique oral structure, the process of fitting the appliance and whether dental implants are used to secure the denture. Rest assured that our experienced billing team at Imagine Family Dentistry will work closely with you to maximize any of your insurance benefits that may cover a portion of these costs. We accept various forms of payment to help you fit out-of-pocket expenses into your budget.
A partial denture can replace a number of missing teeth when the patient still has some biological teeth left in the smile. The partial includes a mechanism by which the appliance attaches to those natural teeth for support.
Permanent dentures are supported by dental implants, which means that they stay put in your mouth. Permanent dentures also retain their fit, as the dental implants preserve the integrity of the underlying jawbone. In contrast, a conventional denture can be removed from the mouth, and they may need to be refitted or replaced as the loss of jawbone tissue progresses.