When your full or partial denture is simply not cooperating, it can make even the most basic tasks incredibly frustrating and even impossible. When you’re chewing food or speaking, an ill-fitting denture can feel incredibly cumbersome. Even worse, a denture that doesn’t fit properly can make your gums incredibly sore throughout the day. Instead of going through the process of repairing and replacing your denture, you may want to consider choosing implant dentures in West Bloomfield to replace teeth instead. Not only will you enjoy greater stability and functionality when eating and speaking, but you’ll embrace the reality of living with a prosthetic that can last a lifetime with proper care. To learn more about the process, keep reading or contact the dentists at LakeView Family Dental today!
While single dental implants are designed to hold individual teeth, a group of dental implants can effectively hold both partial and even full dentures with relative ease. What’s great about implant dentures is that you do not need a dedicated implant for each tooth you intend to replace. Just like how an implant bridge that replaces three to four teeth is typically held with a pair of implants, implant dentures are usually held in place with four to six implants, sometimes more depending on the case. Each implant integrates with your existing bone and gum tissue, ensuring a long-lasting fit.
Another great aspect of implant dentures is the ability to choose between a fixed or removable denture:
Using between 4 and 6 dental implants, our team can easily secure a custom-made denture to the tops of your implants, creating a fixed solution that will give you greater stability and functionality. Working just like your regular teeth, only your implant dentist will be able to remove this type of restoration.
If you prefer to remove your denture at night to clean and maintain it, you can choose to have what is referred to as an overdenture put into place. Using only 2-5 implants, the restoration is held in place with a bar-retained or ball-retained appliance and can be easily removed without the help of a qualified professional.
Before moving forward with implant dentures, you must understand that the process does take time. Whether it several months or even a year, the results you’ll achieve will certainly be worth the wait. After we’ve completed your initial consultation and confirmed that you are eligible to receive dental implants, we’ll begin the planning process of your treatment. This means determining exactly which denture you’ll be using to combine with dental implants and the number of implants that need to be placed. Then, we’ll schedule your surgery date to have the implants inserted into your jawbone. To do this, we create a small incision inside of your gum tissue, angle and place the implants, then close the tissue to give it time to heal. It will be necessary for you to spend the next 3-6 months recovering at home and allowing osseointegration to occur, which is the process of your implant fusing with the bone and surrounding tissues. Next, we’ll place a series of abutments for the final restoration to attach to as well as cast an impression of your mouth to create the permanent restoration. Once it is ready, you will return to our office to have the denture attached.
To be a candidate for implant dentures, you’ll need to have good oral health, healthy gum tissue, and sufficient bone volume for the implants to integrate with. Doing this ensures that your implants last for many decades, even after continuous use. If you are missing several teeth and you’d rather not use a traditional denture to replace teeth, implant dentures are ideal for you. The same is true if you’re tired of using your current denture or don’t want to regularly repair and replace them, as is very common with full and partial dentures.
Your implant dentist in West Bloomfield will evaluate your smile during an initial consultation. Should problems exist in the beginning, do not lose hope. Preliminary treatments (i.e., bone grafting, sinus lifts, periodontal therapy, tooth extraction) can make it possible to pursue dental implants later on.
One of the most notable benefits of implant dentures is the fact that you will not have to worry about your implant shifting out of place. This is because dental implants work to stimulate bone tissue, which prevents your jaw from breaking down and changing shape. This also means you will not have to rely on denture adhesive just to keep your denture stable. This is often why those who wear dentures need to have their replacement teeth regularly relined and eventually replaced. Additionally, other great benefits include: