While music is known as a universal language, some may argue that food is as well. Eating together, whether at a family barbecue or a dinner with friends, helps us connect with those we cherish most. However, loose dentures can disrupt that connection by interfering with our ability to eat! As your dentures slide around on your gums, you may experience difficulties chewing. Foods like steak and corn on the cob may be totally off the table, as your dentures can’t break them down. As a result, many patients with loose dentures have to alter their diet to softer foods, losing out on important nutrients and social connections. At Aesthetic Dental, we recognize the importance of a stable smile and everything that comes with it. With dental implants, we help keep your dentures in place, so you can eat the foods you love without hesitation!
What Causes Loose Dentures?
When your traditional dentures are first crafted, they likely fit perfectly in your mouth, resting directly on your gums and jawbone. Unfortunately, your jaw makes for a poor denture foundation, as it tends to shrink over time.
With your natural teeth in place, your jaw receives vital stimulation that keeps it healthy and full. After losing teeth, your jaw loses this stimulation, causing it to shrink gradually!
While your dentures originally fit the shape of your jaw, they become looser over time as your jawbone loses mass and volume.
Loose dentures create a variety of difficulties for patients like you, including gum irritation, increased risk of infection, and, as previously mentioned, problems chewing. Without the stability your jawbone provides, your denture prosthetic will shift on your gums, slide around in your mouth, and interfere with your ability to function!
The only way to prevent bone loss from occurring after losing teeth is to replace the stimulation that keeps your bone healthy. Fortunately, dental implants do just that.
Using Dental Implants To Secure Loose Dentures
Dental implants are titanium screws that we place inside your jawbone. Thanks to their titanium composition, these screws bond to your bone over time, creating an incredibly strong connection. Then, as a foundation to anchor your denture in place, implants restore your smile!
Additionally, thanks to their position in your jaw, dental implants stimulate your bone, preventing bone loss. With a healthy bone and a stable prosthetic, patients can enjoy eating the foods they love again. Implant-supported dentures are locked in place, fitting perfectly on your jawbone to provide a stable replacement for your natural teeth.
At Aesthetic Dental, we use two types of dental implants, depending on your needs.
For those with enough jawbone structure to support them, we may use conventional dental implants! These titanium screws are large in diameter and have a multi-piece design, requiring multiple placement appointments. However, not every patient is eligible for a large-diameter implant due to bone loss caused by missing teeth. Fortunately, we have another implant solution!
Mini dental implants are much smaller in diameter and feature a one-piece design that stabilizes even in minimal bone. In most cases, patients ineligible for conventional implants are still eligible for mini implants! Thanks to their unique design and simple placement process, these implants allow us to restore your smile faster at a more affordable price.
Our Mini Dental Implant Denture Options
At Aesthetic Dental, we offer three mini implant denture options to stabilize your smile.
Snap-in denture: Similar to a traditional denture, this prosthetic is fully removable. However, a snap-in denture is secured to your jawbone using 4 to 8 mini implants. Thanks to its design and a special rubber “O-ring” that allows the prosthetic to “snap” on and off, you can remove your denture at your convenience.- Semi-removable roundhouse bridge: A roundhouse bridge is a type of denture that doesn’t require the bulky base traditional dentures do. Instead, we remove a large portion of the base to create a natural-looking restoration! A semi-removable roundhouse bridge is secured with 6 to 10 mini implants. Although it’s important to note that while you won’t remove it, we will at routine dental visits.
- Non-removable roundhouse bridge: Unlike a semi-removable prosthetic, a non-removable roundhouse bridge is never taken out. Using dental cement, we secure your denture on 10 to 12 mini implants to provide a permanent solution to tooth loss. In some cases, your denture may not even need a denture base, instead relying solely on your implants to provide a more natural look! With its incredible stability and natural design, this restoration is the closest you can get to replicating your natural smile.
Stabilize Your Smile With Dental Implants in Southfield, MI
Eating is a vital part of life, both for the nutrients food provides and the connections it helps us form with others. If you’re missing out on eating the foods you love with the people you love, it’s time for an upgrade. Ditch your loose dentures and stabilize your smile with dental implants! At Aesthetic Dental, we place these titanium posts in your jaw to anchor your smile and restore your ability to eat.
Book a free consultation to learn if implant dentures are right for you!
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