Contrary to popular belief, your teeth aren’t just for eating and chewing. They’re also critical for speaking and making a valuable first impression. Your teeth also play a critical role in maintaining optimum jawbone health, which is essential for a healthy, radiant smile.
Despite the loss of one or several teeth, Australians can still achieve excellent, long-term dental health. As a trusted provider of premium, cost-effective denture repairs on the Gold Coast and surrounding neighbourhoods, we can help you achieve this goal.
This blog will delve deeper into the basics of dental implants versus dentures, enabling you to make informed decisions and enjoy long-lasting dental health, as well as achieve a dazzling smile.
Dentures Explained
Dentures (artificial or prosthetic teeth) are dental prosthetic devices that match your gums’ natural contours and facial features and prevent your teeth from shifting. These devices are typically made of acrylic resin, porcelain, or polycarbonate. Some manufacturers reinforce dentures with metal to enhance their resilience, ensuring long-term reliability and quality.
Denture types include the following:
- Complete dentures: As the term implies, complete dentures replace a full set of teeth (upper, lower, or both). Dental manufacturers customise these prosthetics to fit the patient’s gum and jawbone contours. Complete dentures settle on the gums and can be removed.
- Partial dentures: Patients with only several missing teeth use partial dentures. In some instances, dentists use their existing teeth to stabilise the partial prosthetics, which can be removable or fixed.
- Immediate dentures: Practitioners place immediate dentures in the patient’s oral cavity as soon as they extract a patient’s remaining teeth. These temporary prosthetics, which can be partial or complete, help maintain dental aesthetics and function while your clinic manufactures your permanent dentures.
- Snap-in (implant-supported) dentures: These dentures latch onto dental implants on a patient’s jawbone. The term “snap-in” refers to the snapping action of the prosthetics attaching to the oral bone structure. Snap-in dentures can be partial or complete.
- Overdentures: These prosthetics are secured on the gums and stabilised by dental implants. Most patients prefer the complete version over the partial alternative. Depending on their unique situation, they can choose from the removable or permanent variety.
- Economy dentures: As the term suggests, economy dentures are more affordable than the other types of dental prosthetics. However, the generic fit and unnatural appearance of these artificial teeth may make some patients uncomfortable.
- Custom dentures: Also known as personalised dentures, these devices are uniquely designed to fit a patient’s oral cavity. Unlike the economy version, custom dentures’ perfect fit prevents discomfort and shifting. Their natural appearance also helps boost self-esteem and confidence.
Dental Implants Explained
Dental implants are a tooth restoration alternative that replaces missing tooth roots and chewing surfaces. These sturdy titanium metal rods are implanted into the jawbone and act as your new tooth roots.
The two types of dental implants include the following:
- Endosteel implants Your dental practitioner surgically implants these titanium rods into your jawbone. He will perform a second surgery and attach a post to the implant once the adjacent gum tissue has healed. To finish the procedure, your dentist will attach an artificial tooth (or teeth) to the post.
- Subperiosteal implants: These implants have a metal frame that your dentist attaches onto your jawbone beneath the gum tissue. The frame latches onto the oral bone structure as the gums heal over time. Similar to endosteel implants, the subperiosteal version has posts that support artificial teeth.
Whether it’s a dental crown on a single implant, a dental crown on several implants, a partial denture, or a complete denture, dental implants can support several kinds of restorative techniques that ensure long-term oral health.
Dentures Vs. Dental Implants: A Tale of the Tape
Although dentures and dental implants aim to restore healthy teeth, ensure long-term oral health, and restore a dazzling smile, they achieve these goals in different ways.
As a trusted provider of premium, cost-effective denture relines for over a decade, we encourage you to consider the following facts about dentures and dental relines, empowering you to make informed decisions for your unique situation:
- Dentures and dental implants are customisable: You can choose the size, shape, and shade of your dentures or dental implants. Either option looks natural and seamlessly fits into your oral cavity. You will achieve a radiant smile without people recognising your preferred dental intervention.
- Dental implants feel natural: Surgically-implanted titanium dental implants feel and function naturally. These metal rods encourage natural adjacent bone growth, which stabilises the artificial tooth (or teeth) like natural tooth roots.
Consequently, you can eat your favourite foods without worrying about your teeth shifting, unlike poorly-fitting dentures.
- Dentures are less invasive: Unlike dental implants, which require minor surgery, dentures are a less invasive option. The latter only requires a dental impression—a straightforward procedure where your dentist takes a digital 3D image of your teeth to create customised dentures.
- Dental implants take longer to finish: Dental implants require two or three procedures over several months. The process, which also includes an initial consultation, the surgical procedure, healing, abutment placement, and final crown or bridge placement, typically takes four to eight months.
On the other hand, dentures require an initial consultation, fabrication, fitting, and adjustments, which require just three to six weeks.
- Only dental implants prevent jawbone loss: Natural tooth roots maintain jawbone health through constant stimulation, signalling the body to deliver more nutrients. Unfortunately, tooth loss impedes this process, with other tooth replacement strategies proving futile
Only dental implants can replace tooth roots and prevent jaw bone loss. The titanium steel rods implanted into the games can encourage bone growth that supports jawbone health.
- Dentures can facilitate bone loss: In sharp contrast to dental implants, dentures can accelerate jaw bone loss due to the constant pressure they place on the bones underneath the gums. Improperly fitting dentures can cause the lips or cheeks to collapse, resulting in the dreaded sunken facial appearance.
We highly recommend consulting a trusted dental practitioner to ensure well-fitted dentures and enjoy fuller lips and cheeks, a youthful facial contour, and a radiant smile.
- Dentures are more affordable than dental implants: The non-invasive nature of removable dentures makes them more affordable than dental implants. The former’s materials (acrylic or resin) are less expensive than the titanium and ceramic materials used for the latter.
- Dental implants require resilient jawbone density: Healthy jawbone density is a prerequisite for dental implants because these titanium steel posts will be surgically implanted into the gums.
Patients who have experienced significant jawbone loss can still undergo dental implant surgery. However, they must undergo bone grafting before the procedure. Your dentist will use bone from another source (your own, a donor’s, or a synthetic version) and surgically place it into the jawbone.
- Dentures require frequent adjustments and replacements: Unfortunately, jawbone deterioration can cause dentures to shift over time. The likelihood of your dental prosthetics slipping from your mouth while you eat, talk, or laugh increases when your jawbone weakens. Hence, you should visit your dentist frequently to adjust and, if necessary, replace your dentures.
We highly encourage individuals with delicate jawbones to schedule an appointment with their dentist, who can replace removable dentures every five to ten years.
Although these prosthetic teeth have lower upfront costs than dental implants, the need for frequent adjustments and replacements contributes to higher long-term expenses. Thus, the cost of dental implants vs dentures can break even over the years.
- Dental implants provide lifelong durability: The titanium steel rods of dental implants will stabilise further with adjacent jawbone growth over time. These sturdy applications effectively replace tooth roots and provide users with lifelong durability, especially when they practise consistent oral hygiene.
With proper care, your dental implants can last up to fifteen years. We strongly recommend visiting your dentist for possible replacement due to wear and tear when the time comes.
Conclusion
Choosing between dentures and dental implants depends on your lifestyle, budget, and personal convenience. Only a highly qualified and experienced dentist can recommend the appropriate intervention for your unique situation.
With over a decade of industry experience, Dentures at Varsity has provided clients on the Gold Coast and surrounding areas with premium, cost-effective dental services. Please contact us today to schedule an appointment, receive a personalised, upfront quotation, and enjoy optimum, long-term dental health