Dental implants are the best, most advanced choice when it comes to tooth replacement. The All-on-4 approach provides options not available from traditional implants, and makes then available to an even wider range of people. If you’re considering dental implants, here are four facts you might not know about how they provide the best tooth replacement option.
You can have dental implants even if you’ve worn dentures. If you’ve avoided investigating implants because you’ve been wearing dentures, you might be missing an opportunity for a natural-looking and natural-feeling smile. While it’s true that long-term denture wearers experience bone atrophy, you still might be eligible for implants. All-on-4 implants are a popular choice for those who might not have sufficient jawbone strength for traditional implants.
Implants can be used to replace a single tooth, or all your teeth. If you’re missing just one tooth, an implant is the best way to replace it. Unlike a crown and bridge, an implant can be placed without affecting adjacent teeth. If you choose a denture to replace a single tooth, you could experience loss of bone mass, which can have negative consequences in the long term.
You can have implants even if you’ve suffered from gum disease. If you’ve had gum surgery or are currently affected with gum disease, you can still have implants. Just talk to your periodontist about how to ensure your gums are healthy enough to heal after implant surgery.
Implants help protect your jawbone from atrophy. Over time, if you have missing teeth, your body resorbs the tooth sockets to make use of the minerals that make up the bone. This leads to atrophy of the jawbone, which causes the shrunken look stereotypically used to portray toothless older people. With implants, however, the jawbone is stimulated to continue growing, so you’ll never have to worry about atrophy.
If you have missing teeth and would like to find out about your best options for tooth replacement, talk to our prosthodontist about dental implants.
