When you lose a tooth, or need one pulled, filling in the gap with a dental restoration is the preferred method of treatment. These restorations can be removable with dentures, or permanent and secure through dental implants. Regardless of your choice, each provides aesthetic improvement to your smile. Yet, both offer benefits and drawbacks to when replacing teeth.
Choosing Dentures
Dentures provide those with missing teeth the relief from an unsightly smile. After teeth are extracted or knocked out, it’s important to fill the spaces to maintain chewing and speaking function. By filling this gap, teeth are stopped from shifting into the vacant spots. Since dentures can be removed, cleaning and maintenance become quite easier. Additionally, these appliances give your face a fuller appearance.
The Risk of Forgoing Dental Implants
While dentures solve some of the problems associated with missing teeth, there are drawbacks. With dentures, a partial, or a bridge, you are putting the health and structure of your jaw at risk for deterioration. The dissolving of the jawbone results in several complications. Your teeth suffer from misalignment, which happens when teeth are displaced from their normal position in the mouth, causing crowding.
Bone resorption is another complication that happens when removing teeth. When they are missing, the facial structure begins to change. The front teeth can start to protrude, the lips can sink in, and facial muscles can dramatically weaken due to significant bone loss in the jaw.
Dental Implants for Health and Stability
Dental implants provide the same benefits of dentures, but also address the potential complications that arise from not replacing the tooth root. The dental implant procedure involves surgically planting a titanium post in the jawbone beneath the gum line. The posts serve as tooth roots, which allows the jaw to recognize it still has a function, reducing any deterioration that could have occurred after the original tooth was lost. Dental implants can be used in place of one missing tooth, or an entire mouth.
Once the posts have had time to heal, your Baton Rouge dentist fastens the appropriate restoration to the implant, whether it be a crown, bridge, or dentures. Regardless the type of restoration, they provide far more stability than dentures, which are affixed with messy dental adhesives and have more of a chance to slip out of place.
The one downside to dental implants is its cost effectiveness in comparison to dentures. While dental implants are more expensive, the health and convenience of choosing this option can have a long-term worthwhile effect.
Contact Us Today
If you have missing teeth and want a comprehensive explanation of your options, give Sancerie O’Rourke-Allen, DDS a call at Distinctive Smiles of Baton Rouge for compassionate and dedicated dental care. We see patients throughout the greater Baton Rouge area. Contact us today to schedule a visit.