Losing teeth is a serious issue that has many effects on your life. Moreover, the more teeth you lose, the worse the effects become. Tooth loss affects your abilities to eat and speak, making both incredibly difficult. When you cannot properly chew, your digestion and nutrition suffer. The quality of your smile decreases, causing your confidence to plummet.
Tooth loss also affects the health of your jawbone, leading to bone loss and a change in the shape of your jaw. This can cause the skin on your face to sag, which can then lead to wrinkles. Traditionally, missing teeth have been replaced with dentures. However, dentures have several significant disadvantages that are unappealing to most. At Dallas Prosthodontics, we can provide you with an alternative to traditional dentures with overdentures.
What are Dental Implants?
Dental implants are a modern solution for replacing missing teeth. This incredible treatment uses small titanium posts to support your replacement teeth. The posts are surgically inserted into your jawbone. As you heal, the bone fuses to the posts in a natural process called osseointegration. This process stabilizes the posts, turning them into replacement roots that then hold your new teeth securely in place.
Implants are a very versatile treatment that can replace a single tooth or several teeth. They can also be used to replace an entire arch of missing teeth, with a restoration often referred to as overdentures.
Replacing an Entire Arch of Teeth
Overdentures are a treatment used to replace an entire arch of missing teeth, whether it is the upper arch or the lower arch. Before oral surgery, any unhealthy teeth that are remaining in your jaw must first be extracted. Oral surgery is done under a local anesthetic as well as sedation, which helps you to relax during your procedure. Small incisions are made in your gums, exposing the bone underneath. Next, holes are drilled into the bone, and your posts are placed directly inside. Finally, the gums are sutured closed, and temporary teeth are placed.
Healing from your implant surgery can take up to several months to complete. During this time, we monitor your progress to make sure that your bone is fusing properly, and there are no complications. When you have fully healed, we then begin the process of making your final dental restorations.
Options for Overdentures
There are a few different options for overdentures. These include
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Implant supported dentures. These are the typical overdentures. This treatment uses 6 to 8 implant posts to support your arch of replacement teeth. The restoration is screwed into place on the posts.
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Bar-retained dentures. This treatment uses only 4 implant posts, which are connected by a titanium bar, and is sometimes used when you do not have sufficient bone mass in your jaw. Your replacement teeth are made to clip into place on the bar.
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All on 4. The All on 4 is a common treatment for replacing an entire arch of missing teeth when you do not have enough bone mass in your jaw. Rather than undergoing a bone graft, 4 posts are strategically implanted into your jaw. The teeth are then screwed into place on the posts.
Benefits of Overdentures
Overdentures provide several significant benefits. These include
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They look much more natural. The restorations, made from ceramic, perfectly imitate the properties of natural tooth enamel.
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They restore the functions of your missing teeth. You can eat and speak normally once again.
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Incredible comfort. Your teeth are supported by the implant posts rather than your gums. This avoids pressure on the gums as well as uncomfortable denture sores.
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Ease of care. You can brush and floss your new teeth just like your real teeth.
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The posts restore stimulation to your jawbone, stopping and preventing bone loss. Implants are the only treatment that provides this benefit, preserving the integrity of your jaw.
Overdentures provide you with an incredible, long-term solution for replacing an entire arch of missing teeth, allowing you to avoid treatment with traditional dentures. For more information, and to find out if dental implants are the right solution for you, call Dallas Prosthodontics at (972) 503-7200 today.
Removable Overdentures | Prosthodontist Dallas | Dallas Prosthodontics Here at Dallas Prosthodontics, we provide our patients with overdentures - an amazing, long-term solution for replacing an entire arch of missing teeth. Dallas Prosthodontics, 6029 Belt Line Road, Suite 120, Dallas, TX 75254 : (972) 503-7200 : dallasprosthodontics.com : 9/27/2024 : Related Phrases: overdentures Dallas TX :
