Implant dentistry is the optimal choice, and considered the “standard of care†for tooth replacement anytime failing teeth or missing teeth need to be replaced.
Removable dentures reduce chewing efficiency by at least 70%, because they tend to slip and slide around. Not only do implant supported bridges enable a patient to eat normally, but they also help preserve the jawbone.
When all the natural teeth are severely compromised or missing, and there are no tooth roots in the jawbone to stimulate any bone growth, the body senses that the jawbone is no longer necessary and begins to dissolve it away. This results in facial collapse. After about ten years, it often becomes difficult to wear a denture because there is little bone left to support it. This results in the lips folding in, and the lower face shriveling up (witches chin) with wrinkles around the mouth (marionette lines) showing a much older looking person.
In the past, people missing all of their teeth had two options: dentures or gums. The disadvantages of bare gums are obvious. The disadvantages of dentures are numerous, such as:
- Dentures are uncomfortable and often painful
- Denture wearers often fear/avoid intimate situations
- Wearing dentures often undermines a person's self confidence (they have missing body parts and do not feel complete or natural)
- They do not look natural, especially when eating
- Dentures must be removed during most hospital visits and medical appointments – adding to further embarrassment
- With missing teeth, bone continues to melt away, dentures become loose, and without the use of adhesives, dentures can and will fall out with normal day-to-day activities such as laughing, coughing, sneezing, or eating
- Some denture adhesives contain zinc which can cause neurologic problems
- People with dentures cannot eat certain foods, such as steak, corn on the cob, apples, and pretty much anything crunchy, just to name a few
- People with dentures often have bad breath
- Denture wearers have reduced taste sensation
- People without teeth and supporting bone visibly age much faster
These problems can be solved with implant supported replacement teeth, which are stable (securely fastened to the implants) and maintain the integrity of the facial structures by preserving bone.
