Dentures have long served as the ideal solution to restore smiles for individuals without teeth, offering an improved quality of life through enhanced function and comfort. Palmetto Smiles provides high-quality dentures custom-designed to match your natural facial symmetry. The design process considers crucial factors such as shape, color, and size to create a dental restoration that closely resembles your natural smile.
The Impact of Dental Implants on Denture Security
The evolution in dental technology now allows dentures to be either removable or secured using dental implants. These implants permanently secure the denture in place, eliminating any potential embarrassment from slippage. Patients who opt for implant-secured dentures enjoy a more naturally looking and comfortable smile. These permanent restorations provide beautiful results that last considerably longer than traditional alternatives. Whenever possible, your dentist will recommend the use of implants due to their ability not only to improve the fit and function of your denture but also to offer additional oral health benefits such as improved bone retention in the jaw, reduced risk for gum disease, and irritation of soft tissues.
Implant-Supported Dentures: A Closer Look
Implant-supported dentures are designed specifically with adults who lose adult teeth over time in mind. They mimic natural teeth look, feel, and functionality almost perfectly while preserving other teeth’s overall structure by preventing them from moving out unnaturally or painfully. Permanent implant-supported overdentures attach securely onto dental implants extending outward from gums into jawbones. There are two types of these special implants: bar-retained ones, where a thin metal bar attaches onto two to five jawbone implants via clips or similar attachments that fixate the denture onto this bar, and ball-retained ones, which contain sockets that fit onto ball-shaped connectors on the implants.
The Implant Process
The dental implant surgery process may involve several procedures spanning over many months, depending largely on your jawbone’s condition and the type of implant used. The primary benefit of this system is its reliable support, as opposed to potential slippage or bone damage associated with fixed bridgework or traditional dentures. Typically, it involves a two-surgery process; the first places implants in the jawbone under gums while the second exposes their tops. However, a one-stage procedure where they simultaneously place both implants and supporting bars is now also available. Your dentist can determine which course of action suits you best based on initial consultations involving reviewing medical histories, taking X-rays, creating teeth impressions and ordering CT scans to identify sinus placements and nerve positions as well as determining how much bone is available for successful implementation. It’s important to note that creating temporary dentures pre-implantation could take up to a month, so be sure to include this in your timeline.