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Culinary happiness with strong teeth.
There is probably nothing more enjoyable in life than to eat. In order to enjoy it though, one has to have a pretty good set of teeth. This is precisely the reason why many dentists will advocate for good oral hygiene and maintenance so that those pearly whites last for a long time.
Unfortunately, things are not always so ideal. Many individuals, especially seniors, rely on dentures in order to go on with their daily lives – especially when it comes to food.
Loose dentures affect the joy of life
Dentures, however, can pose a lot of problems. Ill-fitting dentures may be a source of pain and other problems. Loose-fitting dentures may fall off during meals, or even worse, while one is in the middle of a good conversation with friends and family.
Dentures tend to loosen in time since the absence of teeth leads to the resorption of bone lying beneath the gums. Without anything to support (because that is what the bone is for), bone loses its purpose. When resorption happens, the oral tissues change shape. This is one reason why denture wearers, oftentimes, change dentures after a number of years.
Placing dental implants helps resolve these issues for denture wearers so wearing dentures becomes less of an inconvenience.
What are dental implants?
Dental implants are pretty much like mini screws that are placed into the bone of the jaws in the mouth. There are different brands and designs of dental implants but all of them will be around 3.4 to 5.8 mm in size.
Placing dental implants in the past used to be a quite complex procedure which involved taking bones from the hips and grafting them into bone found within the mouth. Researched has paved the way for better technology and biomaterials so that this technique is no rarely used.
In cases where there is not much bone to accommodate these implants, bone grafts from other sources are now used since this is considered to be a more conservative, yet effective procedure.
Placing dental implants into bone has also been much simplified in cases where there is ample bone to support an implant. Nowadays, all it takes is one appointment under local anesthetics, unlike in the past when implant placement used to require a stay in the hospital.
It should be important to take note that the dental implants being mentioned in this article are those used for prostheses and not for orthodontic procedures. Although they both may be similar in shape and size, they do differ in terms of purpose.
Are dental implants safe to use?
Dental implants make use of titanium which is a highly biocompatible metal. It is the same metal used for implants in bone fractures as well. There may be cases when rejection occurs, as in all cases of implants and transplants. The success rate of this procedure though remains to be pretty high, thus making it a widely popular procedure these days.
When can implants be used?
Implants may be used on any individual who has a missing tooth or teeth.
For single tooth replacements, this can be considered as one of the most conservative ways by which you replace a missing tooth. Unlike bridges which may require the removal of sound tooth tissue on the supporting teeth, an implant may be placed on the space where the missing tooth once was. A crown is then fabricated by a laboratory and cemented onto the implant.
The beauty of the implant is even made more obvious in cases where you have multiple missing teeth or, even worse, a mouth with no teeth at all.
As previously mentioned, denture wearers usually suffer from ill-fitting dentures in the long term. Since implants are inserted directly into bone, resorption is kept to a minimum. Facial bone is highly conserved and in being conserved, the facial contour and profile of the individual is preserved as well.
Click on dentures are fabricated that can easily snap onto the implants so individuals can expect a better fit, removing most of the inconveniences associated with dentures.
What are the disadvantages associated with implant placement?
Cost is an issue when it comes to implant placement. Besides the cost of the implant itself, one will have to consider the fees that come with the procedure. This also is separate from the cost of denture fabrication that is especially designed for the implant system to be used.
However, considering the fact that denture replacement doesn’t come as often as when one makes use of regular dentures, it might even save you some extra expense in the long term.
Another issue to be dealt with when getting implants is maintenance. Poor oral hygiene is one reason for implant failure. If you are considering to get implants, bear in mind that you will have to keep the area clean in order for them to stay in your mouth for a long time.
Tandheelkundig Centrum Steenbergen
Grote Kerkstraat 34
4651 BB Steenbergen
0167 – 563 780
info@tandheelkundigcentrumsteenbergen.nl
