At Seattle’s Best Smiles, we believe that patients should undergo the treatment that they need in order to smile with absolute confidence. This is an especially important concern when a person is missing teeth. Thankfully dental implants are able to address tooth loss and support appliances that fill gaps. We’d like to take a moment right now to consider implant-supported dentures and how they can benefit you. Let’s start by looking at dentures and dental implants individually.
Dentures are a kind of dental appliance that replace many missing teeth in a row. They are ideal for people who are missing most of their teeth along a dental arch. Removable dentures are held in place by gripping around the patient’s remaining gum and jawbone structure. Implant-supported dentures, by contrast, are fixed in place.
Dental implants are artificial tooth roots that are surgically placed into a tooth gap. These artificial tooth roots fuse with the patient’s jawbone and gum tissue, meaning they provide an excellent hold for various kinds of dental appliances.
Dental implants can be used to support the following kinds of dental appliances:
When dentures are supported by dental implants, they are less likely to move or shift out of place. This is because the dental implants provide exceptional stability that cannot be matched by even the strongest dental adhesives.
In addition to the excellent stability of the implant-supported dentures, the dental implants will help prevent bone loss and gum recession. These are both common issues that people face when they have lost teeth. Thanks to the artificial root structure, tissue recession will not occur.
The best candidates for implant-supported dentures are people who are missing many teeth in a row and have healthy jawbone structure and gum tissue in place in the tooth gap. They should be in good health overall and not suffer from conditions that would make oral surgery a health risk.
If a patient does not have sufficient bone tissue or gum tissue in place due to recession, bone grafting and/or gum augmentation surgery can be performed in order to build up this missing tissue. This will allow patients ineligible for surgery to get the treatment that they need. They should keep in mind that these procedures will add months to the overall treatment process.
During the placement of dental implants, an oral surgeon carefully inserts the dental implants into the jawbone through incisions on the gumline. The placement of the dental implants will be determined during the consultation process. Multiple implants will be placed in order to ensure proper anchoring of the denture.
Following the surgical placement, a months-long healing process will be required in order for the implants to fully fuse with the jawbone and gum tissue. This is known as osseointegration. Once this fusion has occurred, the dental implants will be stable enough to support a denture.
For more information about all of your options for treating missing teeth, it’s important that you contact our cosmetic and restorative dentistry center today. The entire team at Seattle’s Best Smiles looks forward to your visit and helping you achieve the best possible results with regard to your overall dental health and wellness.
Dr. Arkadi Razoumovitch, DDS provides cosmetic, restorative, and implant dentistry in a comfortable, professional environment. Dr. Razoumovich received his Doctor of Dental Surgery degree from The University of Washington. He has had extensive post-graduate training, including residency training at the University of California Los Angeles, and is a member of numerous professional organizations including The American Dental Association and The Academy of General Dentistry. Dr. Razoumovich makes dental treatment relaxed and comfortable for patients while enhancing their oral health and beautifying their smiles
