It’s possible to have a beautiful smile and great function for eating and speaking without dentures and without pain. When you turn to implant-supported dentures, you’re opting for a modern solution to missing teeth. Getting the smile you want shouldn’t cause you pain or discomfort, and this traditional denture alternative is barely invasive but offers you dentures that don’t rock, squeak or move.
Implant-supported dentures from your chosen San Diego Dentist Association member, including the often-recommended All-On-Four procedure, are affordable, trusted by dentists, loved by patients and a simpler alternative to regular dental implants. With implant-supported dentures, there’s no surgery and nothing complicated or prohibitively expensive. Countless people have been helped by this modern method of supporting dentures, and you can be too. Without pain or embarrassment, you can wave goodbye forever to loose, uncomfortable and poorly fitted dentures.
Life-Changing Results
Some researchers estimate that 90 percent of patients who choose dentures for their whole arch teeth replacements are dissatisfied in some way. They experience painful jawbone conditions, poor fits and other complications that can be eliminated with implant-supported dentures.
When compared to other procedures that use large implants, the narrow nature of implants used for All-On-Four and similar implant-supported denture procedures makes them superior. They’re almost noninvasive and certainly more convenient because these implants can bear the weight of dentures sooner. They are less expensive to place and simpler work for the dental office, reducing hassles, costs and time in the chair for patients.
Specific benefits of dentures supported with implants include:
- They’re much less expensive than a full arch of traditional implants.
- These sturdy full-arch teeth replacements don’t require adhesives.
- Because they’re mounted in the mouth, they function similar to natural teeth.
- Ease of cleaning. These dentures can be brushed like natural teeth and are removable at the dentist’s office for thorough cleaning.
- Gum tissue and bone are not lost over time as with traditional dentures.
Implant-supported dentures have been created to be less expensive and less invasive than other options and require no incisions, no stitches and no hassles. You can return to your normal life quite quickly, which isn’t possible with larger implants. At the dental office, you’ll be in the chair only a short amount of time, and you will be treated while numbed with a local anesthetic. There’s no need for putting you out with a general anesthetic.
A Case Study
Consider the case of 67-year-old San Diego dental patient Jemma (not her real name). Her life has been radically improved by a short time in the dental chair setting up her implant-supported dentures. She experienced a full decade of problems with traditional dentures – 10 full years of problems that included pain, a bad fit and more. Her life was changed forever, just as yours can be.
Here’s what she said: “I was elated the moment I felt and saw the results. I felt like a new person. People complimented me on how good I looked without ever knowing what I had done. I felt truly wonderful about myself for the first time in all those years. I can’t believe I lived with agony and embarrassment for so long, and I’m so glad it’s no longer necessary. I used to go around the house without my dentures and sometimes even venture to the mailbox or even a convenience store without them because they were so painful. I was self-conscious, but I just couldn’t wear them unless I had to.”
Jemma’s San Diego dentist found that her dentures simply weren’t made very well and were rubbing in several places, causing sores on her gums and painfulness in her jaw. She was no longer able to move her jaw correctly from compensating for the pain. She did not eat or chew properly, and she often avoided speaking up around new people so they wouldn’t notice the way she talked.
After get implant-supported dentures, everything changed for her.
Jemma continued: “I’m not afraid of smiling or talking or eating what I want, even in front of people. And I’m not ashamed of my dentures. If someone is having problems with dentures and thinks it’s time to move on to something better, I suggest they do what I did.”
Cost Of Implant-Supported Dentures
One reason people turn to old-fashioned dentures instead of implants to restore their missing teeth is the cost. Traditional implants can cost from $3,000 to $4,500 per tooth, but a complete set of implant-supported dentures can cost only $2,500, perhaps a bit more depending on the specifics of your case. That means you may be able to get a complete set of teeth for what just one implant costs. Your original dentures can often be used to help keep costs low.
Even better, people who were denied traditional implants because of insufficient jawbone available will often find that this modern alternative will work for them and costs much less than the alternatives they were considering in the past. Just 2 mm of healthy bone is required for the implants with these newer alternatives.
Dental providers understand that many people who need teeth replacement are retired and live on small pensions or social security income. Often, it’s hard to get people with low disposable income to spend on themselves for dental solutions, but the low price of implant-supported dentures makes it possible for even people on a low fixed income to have beautiful, comfortable teeth.
Osteoporosis, Bone Health, And More
Many older women and some men suffer from osteoporosis, a condition that causes bone to be weak. For these and others who are worried about bone health, implant-supported dentures are a smart option. Only four small titanium posts need to be implanted into the jaw for the All-On-Four procedure, and these can be implanted at an angle to reach the best bone. Existing dentures are then relined with silicone to create a comfortable hold with minimal need for healthy bone and no potentially harmful surgery. In most cases, stitches aren’t required, and swelling and discomfort are minimal if at all.
Additionally, those who choose implant-supported dentures don’t have to worry about the cosmetic and speaking concerns that come with some other types of replacement teeth. Many who get traditional dentures experience side effects like sunken faces that results from bone loss and changes of the jawline. There are also often problems with dentures moving around in the mouth, meaning speech can be slurred. And that says nothing of the painful sores and rubbing of ill-fitted dentures. Modern dentures fitted on implants can be so comfortable, however, that you can forget you’re wearing them, and there are fewer side effects.
Implant-supported dentures have been available for years now and have proven that they can make a significant difference in the lives of their users. No matter your age, level of health or activities, you will be able to talk, chew and laugh without worry after you’ve had this simple procedure done. Yet many people still do not realize that this different kind of denture is available and is cheaper than many other restorations.
Find Out If This Is Right For You
Dentists sometimes find it difficult to reassure patients that implant-supported dentures really can work, but dental professionals around the nation and the world have seen again and again that these procedures help people who are dissatisfied with regular dentures and can’t afford regular implants.
Although there is a range of dentures and dental implant options available, no other single procedure type offers as much potential as implant-supported dentures.
There are a number of companies that manufacture and provide small implants. For a healthy patient with enough bone in the jaw, implant placement should be simple, quick and efficient for the patient and for the dentist. There is no reason any dentist can’t do it, but many don’t yet know of this procedure or haven’t yet taken the plunge to offer it. It will likely become more and more popular so that eventually all local dentists will offer it, but right now, you must shop around. Or you could choose an SDDA dentist because they all offer this innovative and remarkable procedure.
Maybe some of the dentists that don’t offer implant-supported dentures are simply untrained or perhaps unwilling because they aren’t yet aware of the surprising list of benefits that mounting dentures on implants offer to patients – including being both cheaper and less invasive than other treatments.
Perhaps implant-supported dentures are right for you. This procedure and its benefits are available to a wide range of denture wearers who haven’t been able to make peace with their dentures. SDDA dentists offer this and other solutions and can discuss with you the benefits, the very low risks and anything you want to know before opting for a new and better way of replacing your teeth.
Other solutions are also available, and SDDA dentists provide a full range of cosmetic, restorative, and preventative dental services for others in your family, so you can establish a relationship that benefits everyone in your household. It’s a good idea for a healthy, happy family with smiles that look great and mouths that are comfortable and function well. Why not reach out to a dentist now?