If you’ve worn a modern, custom dental bridge or denture for a while now, then you may have gotten used to having a full, healthy smile again. After having experienced tooth loss, that can be a great feeling. However, dental bridges and dentures can only do so much when it comes to rebuilding your smile, and if your bridge or denture doesn’t come equipped with dental implants, then it may be worth considering an upgrade.
If you put a bridge on implants
Dental bridges are among the more common tooth replacement options and are designed to replace a lost tooth, or multiple teeth that are adjacent to each other. To do this, a bridge is designed with one or more lifelike replacement teeth, which are supported by one or a pair of dental crowns that are bonded to nearby healthy teeth. These abutment teeth have to be modified to accommodate the bridge’s dental crowns. However, with a dental implant, you can upgrade your replacement to take the pressure of your abutment teeth. If you’ve only lost one tooth, then a single implant and crown can take its place, or we can suggest multiple implants to support a larger bridge for multiple adjacent lost teeth.
If you put a denture on implants
Dentures aren’t as frequently recommended as dental bridges because they’re designed to address more extensive tooth loss. A complete denture rebuilds your dental ridge with a full row of lifelike replacement teeth, and its comfortable plastic base uses the curve of your dental ridge to create natural suction and stay in place. The greatest difference between a traditional and implant denture is that you can support your replacement teeth on a series of dental implant posts, replace the roots of your lost teeth within your jawbone. This gives your denture significantly enhanced comfort and stability, as well as reestablishing the stimulation that your jawbone needs to sustain a healthy flow of minerals and nutrients.
What the long-term benefits are
The improved comfort and stability of your replacement teeth make up some of the more immediate benefits of dental implants, but they do more than make your replacement teeth more stable. Implant posts also refill your jawbone in areas where it has lost teeth roots, which helps keep your jawbone strong, healthy, and able to support your teeth and dental implants more successfully.
Learn about the benefits of dental implants
If you currently wear a dental bridge or denture, then upgrading it with dental implants could significantly improve its comfort, stability, and function. To learn more, schedule a consultation by calling Santa Rosa Oral Surgery in Santa Rosa, CA, today at 707-545-4625.