When an entire arch of teeth is gone, even simple tasks like eating and speaking become extremely difficult, if not outright impossible. Obviously, you’ll want a replacement sooner instead of later! But instead of settling for traditional dentures, you can ask Dr. Le for a much longer lasting and more permanent solution: implant retained dentures. If you think you might be a candidate for dental implants and are looking for a better solution for missing teeth, contact Carlson Dental Group today to schedule an appointment.
Normally full dentures would sit directly on your gums, where natural suction would keep them in place. However, we can give your new teeth extra stability by placing new “roots” for them in the form of dental implants. Typically, it takes as little as four or as many as eight implant posts to support full dentures. The posts will be surgically inserted into the jaw so that they can permanently fuse with the jawbone. As for the dentures themselves, they can sometimes be removable, but oftentimes they will be permanently fixed in place so that you can brush and floss them like they were real teeth.
Dentures are suitable for nearly anyone who has lost most or all of the teeth in their upper or lower jaw. That said, there are a few factors that can affect your candidacy for dental implants. If your jawbone has lost some of its density, bone grafts might be required before dental implant placement. Also, gum disease needs to be successfully treated since an infection could easily lead to bone loss, which is a key cause of dental implant failure. Finally, your body’s healing capabilities need to be considered; if you use tobacco or have uncontrolled diabetes, your jaw may have a more difficult time fusing with the implants.
First, you need to set up a consultation with us so that we can determine whether bone grafts or other preparatory procedures are necessary. We won’t schedule the implant placement itself until we’re sure that your mouth and jaw are ready. During implant surgery, small openings are made in the gums so that we can place the implants into select areas of the jaw. Once they’re in place, it will take a few months for them to fully integrate with the bone. After that, we can design your dentures so that they can be attached to the implants.