When you have lost most or all of your teeth, this could complicate your ability to eat and speak, and cause a prematurely aged appearance. To address these, we could use implant dentures to provide a more stable and lifelike option, one fixed in place. In today’s blog, your Livonia, MI, dentist will look at who makes a good candidate for implant dentures.
Assessing Your Candidacy
What do we look for when we assess candidacy? First, we need to understand the extent of your tooth loss. A loss of one to three teeth in a row could mean a single dental implant or a bridge. Multiple gaps could benefit from a partial, bhut losing most or all of your teeth means a full fixed prosthetic. We may even need to extract the few remaining teeth beforehand. We also need to look at your jawbone. When we lose teeth, the body stops sending key nutrients to the area of the jawbone. Without them, this could cause a breakdown in jawbone density. Your ability to support a new root is then compromised!
Restoring Jaw Structure
What happens if you have lost significant jawbone structure due to untreated tooth loss? For some, we could rebuild the jawbone! Grafting involves attaching tissue from the back of your jaw or hip, or from donor or synthetic sources, to your smile. This bonds and acts like natural tissue, so you can support one or more dental implants. The implants then help stimulate the growth and strength of the jaw, so you have new teeth that could last decades and preserve your jawbone structure. We then plan and guide the placement of the posts, and attach the restoration or prosthetic to offer a full smile again.
All-On-4 and Mini Implants
But! We also have options that could address total tooth loss. Even if you’ve lost mass and density. For example, All-On-4 uses only four specially designed posts per arch, which are smaller and more economical. These are inserted at angles and positions to support new teeth in weakened smiles. In addition, we also have Mini Implants, which also use smaller posts to support a prosthetic and offer a full smile. If you have any questions about how we address tooth loss, or about our lifelike and long-lasting replacement options, then contact our team today to learn more.
DO YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT FIXED DENTURES?
We would love to help you find the best option to address your tooth loss. To learn more about our fixed and durable alternative to removable dentures, then call James Stewart, DDS, dental implant office in Livonia, MI, at (734) 425-4400. We also serve the residents of Farmington, Plymouth, Dearborn Heights, and all surrounding communities.