3 Health Benefits Of Switching From Dentures To Full-Arch Implants
Losing most or all of the teeth in the top or bottom of your mouth can be tough on both your physical and mental health. Losing such a significant number of teeth can seriously impair your ability to eat certain foods or speak clearly, and can seriously lower your quality of life.
Having a set of complete dentures to replace your missing teeth will certainly improve your well-being. Unfortunately, dentures come with their own downsides, and wearing them long-term may impact your health in a number of ways. Full arch implants are a superior alternative and can provide real health benefits for anyone who has lost their top or bottom teeth.
What Are Full-Arch Implants?
Full arch implants are quite similar to conventional tooth implants. These convincing replacement teeth are crafted from tough ceramic materials and are attached directly and permanently to your jawbone using metal rods.
Unfortunately, implants aren't cheap, and having a full set of missing top or bottom teeth replaced with individual implants would be cripplingly expensive for most people. This is where full-arch dental implants come in.
When full-arch dental implants are installed, the implant surgeon fits four or six conventional implants into your mouth at spaced intervals. The spaces between these implants are filled using prosthetic bridges. These bridges are crafted to closely mimic the appearance of real teeth and are permanently attached to the implanted teeth.
How Can Switching From Dentures To Full Arch Implants Benefit Your Health?
Swapping your dentures for full arch implants has a range of practical advantages. Implants require less maintenance, do not have to be adjusted, and look more natural than dentures. They can also improve your long-term health in a number of ways.
Prevent Bone Loss
When a tooth is lost, the jawbone that previously held it in place loses its structural support and slowly begins to shrink and collapse. If you have only lost one or two teeth, your remaining teeth will limit the amount of bone loss. However, if you lose most or all of the teeth in the top or bottom of your mouth, this bone loss can become rapid and irreversible.
Significant loss of jaw bone can drastically alter your appearance, causing your cheeks and chin to collapse inwards. This can impair your ability to eat and drink and can be understandably devastating for your self-confidence and mental health.
Dentures do nothing to arrest bone loss and may make it worse in some cases. Installing dental implants in the jawbone restores the support that was previously provided by the roots of your missing teeth. It also stimulates bone growth factors, and your jawbone may actually become stronger than it was before.
Prevent Fungal Infections
Complete dentures are notorious for causing fungal infections, especially when they are fitted with a full palette. The flat area of your dentures that rests against your gum line must be kept scrupulously clean to prevent these infections, which can cause you to become seriously ill. Full arch dental implants can be cleaned in a very similar way to natural teeth, and do not increase your risk of fungal infections in any way.
Prevent Gum Recession
Dentures, especially complete dentures, place your gum tissue under a significant amount of pressure and can cause them to recede dramatically over time. Gum recession across the entirety of the top or bottom of your mouth can alter your appearance in a similar way to jaw bone loss. The skin covering the receded gums will also become more fragile, increasing the risks of oral bleeding and gum disease.
Full arch dental implants do not place any pressure on your gums, and the incisions made in your gums when they are installed usually heat quickly and completely. The bridges that connect the individual implants rest gently against your gums, without causing any significant pressure.
For more information, contact a company like Mill Creek Dental.
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