Dr. Mortensen is here blogging from Fountain Valley, CA to spread awareness of the harmful effects dentures have on the mouth and teeth and why dental implants are the superior choice. In the age- old debate between dentures and dental implants, dental implants obviously win; no question. There are a lot of disadvantages to removable dentures that people do not even realize.
First of all the fact that they are removable does no favors for your teeth. Even though it sounds convenient when you consider the ability to remove while eating or drinking, they actually ruin your gums and bones in the teeth. When dentures are placed in the mouth, the pressure and stress they assert onto the gums ends up making them saggy and flabby and even causes the bones to shrink over time. Clearly you can imagine this is not comfortable; the inside of your mouth feeling saggy and loose. Not only that feeling, but trying to fit dentures on top of them is much more difficult and awkward.
The fact that dentures speed up bone loss itself, is a losing advantage to get them altogether. Anything in your mouth that deteriorates your bone structure needs to get out immediately. Initially the increased rate of bone loss following extractions is responsible for the observed deterioration of denture fit. Over the long- term it is the direct effect of chewing forces that causes slow resorption of supporting bone. Most people who have had dentures for many years will have need a reline procedure to compensate for this bone loss. Therefore the longer dentures are worn, the more the amount of bone available for dental implants may be reduced.
As the exact opposite, dental implants actually work in favor of strengthening the bone in the teeth and jaw and the actual density of the bone as well. Implants also slow gum erosion due to the non- decay substances they are made of; that are tooth- colored and realistically natural. Although these implants themselves cannot decay like natural teeth, you can still develop peri- implantitis; this is the destruction of hard and soft tissue surrounding the implants. No matter what dental work we have done in our mouths, we always must clean out, brush, and floss at least 2-3 times a day to help rebuild good dental health.
Dental implants also work naturally to literally reduce bone shrinkage in the mouth, which helps to maintain good oral health for years to come. A strong jaw bone and bone in the teeth are completely vital to achieving good oral hygiene and working hard to keep that healthy for the rest of your life.
As you read earlier, the longer you have dentures in your mouth, the less likely you will be able to get dental implants later. Due to excessive damage of the tissue and bone, you may even need a bone graft to restrengthen your jaw bone; specifically the alveolar bone. This is a bone transplant in which the fractured bone is replaced and repaired with a healthier and stronger bone that will be able to endure the process of osseointegration.
If you currently have dentures in, you should remove them before they erode your gums and bones beyond repair. Here at Andrew G. Mortensen D.D.S Inc. we want to give you the gift of dental implants to help restore your already worn down oral health.
Interested in this procedure and want to learn more? Visit our Dental Implant Info page.
Call us Today to Schedule a Consultation in Fountain Valley, CA
Ditch those dentures today and call us to schedule a consultation that will actually help your oral health instead of ruin it. Call us while you still can at 714-421-4722