Which do you choose? Dentures Or Dental Implants?

12 / 07 / 2017

Which do you choose? Dentures Or Dental Implants?

Why Both Are Viable Options, Depending On The Patient’s Needs

When a tooth is lost, especially a visible one, it is only natural that people want to replace it with an artificial one. There are three main ways in which this can be done: dentures, bridges or dental implants.

At the Lighthouse Dental Practice in Ipswich, we offer all three of these options for patients with missing teeth.

Below, we discuss these options, focusing especially on whether dentures still have a role to play in restoring a person’s smile.

Bridges and Implants

We will cover these two procedures together as both require slightly more complex dental surgery. A bridge is so-called because it ‘bridges’ the gap between teeth. Essentially it consists of one or more replacement teeth that are attached to the natural teeth on either side of the gap using dental crowns. Whilst this is an effective method, it does require otherwise healthy teeth to be shaped so that the crowns can be attached to them.

Dental implants are, in the opinion of many, the best teeth replacement option currently available. Not only do they replace the visible tooth, but also the root of the tooth. This provides additional strength and security as well as helping to prevent bone loss in the jaw.

Dentures

It is easy to think that dentures are a thing of the past and have been replaced by procedures like dental implants. Whilst implants do tend to offer a better long-term solution, dentures are still the first choice of many patients due to both their affordability and the fact that they typically require no invasive dental surgery. Often, all that is needed is to take impressions of the patient’s mouth and dentures will then be made from these at a local laboratory.

We would still encourage nervous dental patients to consider dental implants though, as they offer very secure and strong replacement teeth that are easily cared for. Although the procedure is an invasive one, it only needs to be done once and can give you natural-looking replacement teeth for twenty years or even more. In addition to this, we offer nervous patients the option of having sedation to help them feel relaxed and comfortable throughout the procedure.

Which option you choose is ultimately your decision, although we may recommend one that we feel is particularly appropriate for your situation. To discuss the available options, why not call the Ipswich Lighthouse Dental Practice on 01473 257379 if you live in the local area? We are happy to discuss the treatments in more detail and answer any questions or concerns that you may have about them.

We are here to help you.
If you would like to speak to a member of our friendly team about any of the issues in this article please visit our contact page or call us on 01473 257379.