When to Consider Dental Implants Over Dentures

Tooth loss can happen for a number of reasons, from gum disease to tooth decay to dental trauma. Because of that, it’s fairly common for adults to be missing quite a few teeth. In fact, studies tell us that less than 50% of adults still have a full set of permanent teeth. 

When you have missing teeth, it affects your chewing patterns and can lead to bone loss and decreased self-esteem. Thankfully, plenty of options for replacing missing teeth are available, but dentures have been the go-to treatment for many years. 

While dentures are still a great option for tooth replacement, dental implants have been on the rise as an alternative treatment choice. 

At First Dental Associates in Reading, Massachusetts, Nasrin Sadeghi, DMD; Medha Singh, BDS, DMD, MS; and the rest of our team offer both dentures and dental implants to replace missing teeth and restore your oral health. In this blog, we explore both of these treatment options and discuss why you might want to choose implants over dentures.

Explaining dentures

Dentures are removable oral devices that can replace missing teeth. You can get either full dentures to replace a full row of teeth or partial dentures to replace just a few missing teeth. These appliances are custom-made and can improve chewing and speaking, along with nutrition and self-esteem. 

As long as they’re well cared for, your dentures can last up to 10 years before they need to be replaced. However, every couple of years, they need to be adjusted in order to ensure that they continue to fit your mouth comfortably. 

Explaining dental implants

A dental implant is an artificial structure that replaces both a missing tooth and its root. A titanium screw is placed in your jawbone where the tooth is missing, and an artificial crown is put on top of the screw. The crown is custom-made and blends in seamlessly with the rest of your natural teeth. 

Dental implants can be cared for just like regular teeth, and they should last a lifetime.

Why dental implants may be a better choice

It may feel more convenient to get dentures than to go the implants route. After all, dentures don’t require you to have a healthy jawbone or undergo surgery to place the artificial implant roots.

However, in the long run, dental implants have far more benefits to offer than dentures. Dental implants look and function just like your regular teeth. This means they last a long time, are  more natural and comfortable, don’t have to be taken out and cleaned every night, and have a very high success rate.   

If you’d like to consider dental implants, contact our team to set up an appointment. You can schedule one over the phone or book one online.