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What is the Purpose of Dental Implants?

For over 25 years dental implants have provided a natural looking solution for replacing missing teeth and for stabilizing or anchoring dentures. Before placing the dental implant into the jawbone, an analysis is taken to determine how the upper and lower jaw functions together. In addition, photographs, x-rays, and molds are taken of the teeth, smile, mouth, and jawbones.

Based on the analysis, we develop a plan that is in harmony with the patient’s goals and desired outcome. Most commonly, the patient’s goal is to replace their missing teeth, to use implants in place of their partial dentures, or for use with their dentures to create stability when chewing.

Some implants need time (four to six months) to fuse to the jawbone so that they will be strong enough to hold the crowns, bridges, or dentures. Implants usually require a surgical and restorative phase, but in some cases they can be used almost immediately after placement in the jawbone.

Typically, dental implants replace the roots of the missing teeth in the bone so that whatever attaches to it will be more stable. Individuals who have lost many of their teeth, if they have enough bone, have many options for stabilizing and making their dentures more functional with implants. Implants can also be used to build fixed bridges attached in part of the mouth, which is more like replacing teeth that the patient can really bite with. The advantages of putting in implants underneath the denture is, in addition to support, it stimulates the health of the bone and keeps it from resorbing as it does when it has a denture placed on top of it. One of the problems we have is that when the teeth are taken out, the bone begins to shrink down as it responds to the pressure of the dentures.

Over years of wearing dentures, the bone continues to shrink and eventually the dentures do not fit the mouth. Implants slow down this process dramatically by stimulating the bone to stay healthy and keep it from resorbing. The dentures will last longer because the underlying areas of the bone are healthier.

If you would like to learn more about implant dentistry to see if it is the best option for your goals for oral heath and beauty, please contact our office to schedule an evaluation.

Stabilizing Your Dentures for Comfort AND Function

We have become passionate about learning more about dentures over the past several years. Early in our dental practice we saw a new patient who was in her thirties and had dentures since she was sixteen years old. She had absolutely no bone left and could not wear her dentures. Back then we did everything that was known at the time to help her and this sent us on a quest as life-long students in dentistry. In today’s dentistry we have better answers, but at the time she was still unable to chew with her dentures. Our newest technology gives us options such as bone grafting, implants, and other stabilization. However, if a patient loses their teeth and simply puts plastic over the gums, they are going to be orally handicapped. For this reason, we do the best restoration that we can that is functional and aesthetic. This approach makes the patient look like they should look if they had their original teeth. That was a problem for most dentures in the past because, as the lower jaw shrinks, the neutral zone between the tongue and lip moves back. To keep your denture from having this constant movement of being pushed back and up, you couldn’t support that lower lip like you normally would. That’s why so many people with dentures look older-because they are not supporting the lips plus they wear them way to long and the jaw is over closed. As the jaw is over closed then you get the “Andy Gump” look where the chin almost meets the nose.