What's The Most Effective Solution For Toothlessness?
Posted on: 15 September 2022
It may seem like dentures are the most practical solution in cases of edentulism, which is the clinical name for toothlessness. When someone has no teeth at all, detachable dentures are the most straightforward option, but not the most effective one. Dentures don't have to be detachable, and the very fact that they can be permanently fixed in place gives them some clear advantages.
Detachable Denture Drawbacks
All-on-4 dental implants are a series of implants placed in your dental arch. Your dental arch is the ridge of bone and gum tissues that holds your dental sockets. Your dentures sit atop your dental arches, and for the most part, stay in place. They may not always be as secure as you like, and the very fact that they rest on your dental arches and palate means that they have reduced bite pressure when compared to natural teeth. So how does all this relate to dental implants?
All Teeth Supported by Four Implants
Typically, dental implants are for single teeth, with each implant supporting an individual prosthetic tooth. With all-on-4 implants, all teeth (being complete dentures for an upper or lower dental arch) are supported by just four dental implants, strategically placed in the dental arch in question. There's even some versatility with the position of the implants in your dental arch. They can be placed where the bone is thickest, offering maximum support for your new dentures.
Bone Density for Implants
This versatility can allow you to bypass a common problem in dental implants for patients with edentulism—which is a lack of bone density. When your jaw no longer has to support the pressure experienced by teeth, it can lose some of its density, meaning it can't always support a dental implant without first being reinforced (generally via bone grafting). Because the exact position of all-on-4 implants is somewhat flexible, your implants can just be placed where the bone is thickest.
Permanent Attachment
Once the implants have healed, your new dentures are permanently attached. You no longer have to remove them, or worry about them slipping (because they can't). You will have significantly improved bite power, and the permanent attachment means that your dentures will look considerably more natural. In fact, you just clean them like they're natural teeth. Although they can't corrode like natural teeth, you still need to brush them to remove food debris.
Dentures can be the most straightforward solution for those affected by edentulism, but they're by no means the most effective—unless they happen to be dentures supported by just four implants.
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