Choosing Between Dentures And Dental Implants

The implant dentist at Blue Sky Dental in Chelmsford looks at the pros and cons of these teeth replacement methods.

Tooth loss will happen to most of us and eventually, a tooth will be lost through decay or through an accident. This leaves us with a decision to make. Some might argue that a gap in the teeth that can’t be seen isn’t really important. We would argue that it is for a number of reasons including bone loss in that area which can cause the teeth to shift. This can then lead to crooked teeth and related problems. For the sake of today’s blog though, let us presume that the missing tooth is one that is very visible; a situation that would lead most of us to make a choice between dentures or a dental implant to replace it.

So, what are the options available to you if you find yourself in this situation? Having ruled out leaving a gap, there are just three choices to choose from. One of these is a bridge. This would work but does usually require the shaping of the teeth on either side of the gap and understandably, a lot of people want to avoid this. That leaves our Blue Sky Dental patients with the option of dentures or dental implants, so let us take a look at these two now.

Dentures

For a long time, dentures were the only real option to replace a missing tooth. Perhaps partly because of this, a lot of focus was put on making them more comfortable and natural looking. This has led to a good choice of dentures to choose from these days. Even with these advances though, not everyone gets on well with dentures. They may be more comfortable than before and even look natural but dentures are not ‘anchored’ in place other than with clips, suction and dental adhesive. This can lead them to move around and even fall out on occasion which presents a few issues. Firstly, the obvious one; it is embarrassing to be talking to someone when they comes loose and it’s next to impossible to avoid anyone seeing this.

There is also the issue of eating. An insecure denture can make eating some foods quite difficult and the food itself may exacerbate the problem. This often leads denture wearers to choose foods that are easier to eat, rather than choose based on what they want to eat.

Dentures are also a little tricky to clean. They need to be removed from the mouth to do this and also soaked overnight. Combined with the other two issues, it is perhaps no surprise that the next option is growing in popularity.

Dental implants

For anyone who is looking for a more stable way of replacing a missing tooth, or teeth, dental implants are the answer. The main reason for this is that the implant itself is placed into the jawbone where the tooth is missing. It then gradually bonds together with the bone and, in effect, becomes an artificial tooth root. Once this has happened, usually over a few months, a crown will then be attached to the implant to complete the procedure. This provides a very strong and stable replacement tooth and one that can last for twenty years or more if you look after it well.

The most noticeable thing about this method is that, unlike dentures, it does require some minor surgery at our Chelmsford practice and the idea of having small holes drilled into the jawbone might deter some people. Although it is a complex procedure, it is perfectly safe and with the benefit of a powerful local anaesthetic, shouldn’t cause any more discomfort than you might expect from many other procedures.

The cost of dental implants is also higher than having a denture, but it is worth remembering that this is nearly always a one off cost and there should be no additional payments required for repairs etc if you take good care of them. Dentures, on the other hand, sometimes need repairing, for example when patients drop them when cleaning. The lack of a tooth root with dentures also means that the mouth changes shape a little and the dentures then need adjusting as they don’t fit as well and become uncomfortable and unstable.

Dental implants are also cleaned in the mouth in the same way you do your own natural teeth, so far more convenient than cleaning dentures.

There are no limitations to what you can eat either when you have implants. Once fully secure in the mouth, your dental implants will withstand eating any food you wish that you would expect a healthy natural tooth to handle.

If you are concerned about the cost of the implants but feel you are interested and would like to know more, our team are always happy to talk to you about the procedure in more detail and also explain the range of finance plans that we have available to help you to spread the cost. Ultimately, the choice is the patients, but we do believe that dental implants offer an excellent and realistic tooth replacement option and would encourage our Chelmsford patients to consider this option and discuss it with us rather than dismiss it out of hand.

For more information on teeth implants (and dentures), why not give us a call? You can contact Blue Sky Dental on 01245 211070.