Dental Implants vs Dentures
If you’ve lost one or more teeth, dentures are no longer the only treatment option available. Due to advances in dental techniques, other treatment options include bridges, partial dentures, full dentures, dental implants and dental implant-supporting removable overdentures or fixed bridges (ie implant-supported overdentures and implant-supported fixed bridges). Losing one or more teeth can not only make you feel self-conscious about smiling or laughing, but it can also have an impact on your oral health. If you’ve got a gap in your teeth, the healthy teeth either side can move and become crooked. Missing teeth can also result in difficulties and discomfort when you chew food or speak.
Pros and Cons of Dentures
Remember those ghastly-looking dentures your grandparents kept overnight in a glass on their bedside table? You’ll be pleased to know dental technology has greatly improved the look and feel of today’s dentures. Removable conventional dentures are designed to look like your natural teeth. Aria Dental’s removable dentures are custom designed to improve the fullness of your mouth. Our range of dentures include:
- Partial dentures: Are removable and replace several missing teeth in your lower or upper jaw.
- Full dentures: Sit on top of your gumline to replace all of your missing teeth in your lower or upper jaw.
Dentures are often the first solution patients think of, who need to replace an entire arch of teeth. Removable dentures are also a more cost-effective alternative to implant-supported fixed bridges.
The pros of dentures include:
- Cost less than other dental treatment alternatives
- Minimal surgery is required for removable or conventional dentures
- They can be fitted straight after an extraction
- They are relatively cheap to fix or replacement over time
The cons of dentures include:
- Expertly made dentures that fit a patient well, after an adaptation period, patients may still dislike the way they feel and move inside their mouths
- As dentures don’t support your jaw and mouth like dental implants do, it can be difficult to talk, cough or laugh
- You may need to adjust your diet as some food and drinks can be unsuitable.
- Some patients can have difficulty tasting food if their upper denture has an acrylic plate that covers the roof of their mouth.
- Thorough daily cleaning is required, and you may need to use creams and adhesives to order to minimise movement
- Irritation, pain and discomfort in cheeks and gums can occur due to dentures moving around
- Can be damaged easily and dentures do have a limited lifespan
- They don’t preserve the bone in your jaw, which can result in your lower face looking like it’s collapsed.
Pros and cons of dental implants
Dental implants replace missing teeth with a crown, implant fixture and abutment. An implant is surgically fitted into your jawbone beneath the gums and your replacement teeth are mounted on top. Dental implants function like your natural teeth and are natural looking and feeling. Dental Implants or Implant Supported Dentures are a long-term treatment option to replace missing teeth is suitable for patients who:
- Have lost one or more original teeth
- Have gum disease that’s resulting in poor oral health
- Don’t like wearing dentures because they’re uncomfortable
- Have noticed their facial appearance changing as a result of their missing teeth or from wearing dentures
- Are unhappy with how their missing teeth is making them sound when they talk
- Find it hard to eat the foods they like when wearing dentures.
With the advances in dental implant technology, more patients are choosing this as a treatment option for missing teeth rather than getting dentures. It’s important to note that your mouth must be healthy before you get dental implants. Any tooth decay or gum disease must be treated first.
The pros of dental implants include:
- Are like your natural teeth including the feel, look and function and allow you to eat all types of foods.
- Fixed into your mouth, there is not discomfort or mobility issues that occur with removable denture options (no more loose dentures).
- Easy to clean, with a toothbrush and other oral care supplies.
- Prevent adjacent teeth from moving which can create alignment problems.
- They last a lot longer than dentures
- They stimulate and preserve the remaining bone, unlike removable dentures which can cause bone loss.
The cons of dental implants include:
- Due to the high quality and long-life span, they do cost more than dentures
- Does require oral surgery, completed in stages over a few months
- May require bone or sinus grafting if your jaw bone has deteriorated
Find out whether dental implants or dentures are right for you
If your missing teeth are affecting your oral health or making you feel self-conscious, Aria Dental’s experienced team of dentists can help you. At your free consultation to find out more about your missing teeth, we’ll discuss the pros and cons of dentures and the pros and cons of dental implants. For patients without private health insurance or financial concerns, our payment plans for dental procedures can be helpful. Aria Dental has an internal dental laboratory and can often streamline appointment and prove to be cheaper than other dentists in Perth.
Aria Dental understands that a dental visit can cause stress and anxiety, so they offer stress-free sleep dentistry options as standard. Book your complimentary dental consultation at your nearest Aria Dental location, in Perth CBD, Midland, North Perth or Maddington.
To learn more about the dental implant journey – read further here