Dental Implants and Full Dentures
Complete tooth loss, or edentulism, affects nearly a quarter of adults over the age of 70 in the United States. Such severe tooth loss affects not only your smile, but also your overall quality of life, including your ability to eat the foods you love and the youthfulness of your smile and overall appearance. Dentures have long been the answer for patients whose confidence has suffered due to complete edentulism. Now dentures offer even more comprehensive benefits with the support of dental implants.
Replacing an entire row of lost teeth with a conventional denture rebuilds your smile as well as the functionality of your bite. But the missing roots of your teeth can cause severe degradation of your jawbone, which traditional dentures cannot address. Therefore, Dr. Richards may suggest implant-supported dentures, which are secured to a series of strategically placed dental implant posts (usually between four to eight posts). In addition to rebuilding your smile, implant dentures also reestablish the strength and integrity of your jawbone, thereby helping you preserve the fullness of your smile and facial features.
The Benefits of Implants and Dentures
The benefits of implant-supported dentures are many. But compared to conventional dentures, the most significant advantage involves reestablishing the roots of your teeth. Besides holding your teeth steady, your roots are an important part of your oral anatomy for several reasons. For instance, the blood flow to your jawbone is stimulated by biting and chewing, and with it a sufficient amount of nutrients are delivered to keep your jawbone healthy. Every time a tooth is lost, the missing root equates to fewer nutrients, and in the case of complete tooth loss, the stimulation becomes non-existent.
With the goal of revitalizing your smile, implant-supported dentures are designed to address nearly all of the complications that arise from total tooth loss. The implants offer highly lifelike comfort and stability for your custom dentures, making them look, feel, and perform more like a healthy, natural set of teeth.