Should I Choose Dentures or Dental Implants for My Teeth Replacement?

When you are considering teeth replacement, the two most common options include dentures and dental implants. But which of these should you choose? Your dentist at Carolina Dental Arts in Raleigh, Durham or Goldsboro, NC will help you decide. But taking a few moments to learn more about these options can make the decision easier.

Choosing Between Dentures and Dental Implants

As mentioned above, your Carolina Dental Arts dentist will help you decide between dentures and dental implants, based upon several key factors. These factors include your jawbone health, remaining teeth, budget and personal preference. Of course, each method of teeth replacement has its own advantages and drawbacks that are also important to consider when making your decision.

Why should you replace your missing teeth, anyway? There are a multitude of reasons why you should choose teeth replacement after losing teeth. These reasons include:

Teeth play an important role in eating and digestion
You can enjoy a wider variety of foods with all of your teeth in place
Your teeth support your facial muscles to prevent the early appearance of aging
Teeth enable clearer verbal communication
Having a complete smile increases your self-esteem

Fitting Dentures

Dentures have come a long way in the past several decades. They are more comfortable and better looking than ever before. But they are still removable prosthetics that fit over your gums. If you are missing all of your teeth on the upper or lower jaw, you likely need a full set. If you are only missing several teeth, a partial denture is the likely solution for your teeth replacement.

Fitting your new teeth starts with taking an impression of your gums. If you need all of your teeth replaced, the dentist will make these impressions of both the upper and lower gums. For partial teeth replacement, you may only need molds made of one jaw. Your dentist also examines your jaw alignment and bite to provide for proper fit before the appliance is made. This is an important step in ensuring you are able to comfortably chew and speak clearly with your new teeth in place.

Once the lab finishes your initial set, they are sent to your dentist’s office. You attend a fitting, during which the dentist places the appliances in your mouth to check for necessary adjustments. Then the lab uses this information to craft your final dentures.

To wear your teeth replacements, you must apply an adhesive that securely holds them in place throughout your day. Each night, you remove your artificial teeth to clean them and for sleeping.

Placement of Dental Implants

Unlike dentures, dental implants permanently secure into place within your mouth. You do not remove them. Instead, they look and feel much like your natural teeth. You even perform daily oral hygiene for these teeth replacements, just as you do for your real teeth.

Dental implants consist of a screw-like implanted post fitted deep into your jawbone. The post acts much like a tooth root. On this post the dentist fits a prosthetic crown that matches the proportions and color of your natural teeth. There is a lapse of several months between placement of the post into your bone and fitting of the crown, to allow your bone to grow around the post to anchor it securely in place.

Cost for Teeth Replacement

When deciding between dentures or dental implants, there are costs to consider. A denture set is the more economical option, replacing all teeth on the upper or lower jaw for an average of about $1,600. Implants are more costly, ranging from $1,600 to $2,200 per replaced tooth in most parts of the country.

Taking Care of Your New Teeth

The maintenance of your new smile is another important consideration when making your choice between dental implants or dentures. For dental implants, your oral health and hygiene routine remains much the same as for natural teeth. You must brush twice daily, floss and visit your dentist as recommended. If one of your implanted crowns breaks or cracks, you need a replacement.

Dentures require more upkeep than implants. They must soak overnight in a special cleaning fluid. You must also remove them after eating for brushing. This type of teeth replacement also requires periodic refitting.

Drawbacks of Dentures and Dental Implants

Both types of teeth replacement have their own drawbacks. These drawbacks for implants include:

Infection at the time of post placement or thereafter
Loose posts
Cracked or broken crowns

Complications can also occur with denture appliances. These complications include:

Shifting during wear
Uncomfortable fit
Ulcers or other sores on the gums

Making the Right Choice for Your Teeth Replacement

Making a choice between these teeth replacement options is important. Luckily, you do not have to make your decision alone. Your Carolina Dental Arts dentist examines your teeth, consults with you about your options and makes recommendations based on factors like your age, budget, jawbone health and number of missing teeth. Your insurance coverage may also play a role in your decision-making. The dental office staff can help you understand your coverage, policy limits and other factors related to paying for your new teeth.

Having a complete smile is important for self-esteem, comfortable eating, digestion and clear speech. If you are missing teeth and would like to explore your options for replacement, schedule a visit with the Carolina Dental Arts location nearest you.

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Dental Implant Steps

Did you know that about three million American adults have dental implants? This number increases each year by about 500,000 more patients. Implants have quickly grown in popularity and more people see them as the best choice for teeth replacement when compared to traditional dentures, partials, crowns and bridges. But most patients wonder about the dental implant steps. What is the process and what should I expect?

About the Dental Implant Steps

Getting dental implants is a big decision. With these modern teeth replacements, you are permanently replacing your natural tooth roots with metal posts on which a natural-looking crown sits. In fact, you can expect your dental implants to provide the same function and appearance as your natural teeth.

There are many variables in dental implant steps and the process, as a whole. These variables depend on multiple factors like:

Whether you need tooth extractions
Type of implant you need
Whether you have an allergic reaction
Your jawbone condition
Proper healing around the implant

After examining your oral cavity, jawbone and existing teeth, your dentist develops your dental implant steps as part of a treatment plan. Sometimes this plan requires multiple dental procedures before actual implant placement. Whatever the steps required for your teeth replacement, your dentist discusses the plan with you and explains the process and how long it will take.

Initial Evaluation

Your first visit as part of the dental implant steps is an initial evaluation with your dentist or oral surgeon. They provide a comprehensive examination. This visit focuses on determining your jawbone condition and what dental implant procedure best suits your needs. The appointment can include dental X-rays, taking impressions of your teeth and color-matching with existing teeth to provide the most natural appearance. You also need to decide how many teeth you want replaced with implants.

Sometimes patients need to see other dental specialists before starting the dental implant steps. These specialists can include periodontists or an oral surgeon, as examples. Much of the process depends on the individual’s oral health condition.

Also as part of this visit, you must provide your dentist or oral surgeon with a list of your current medical conditions and medications. Patients sometimes need to take antibiotics before their surgery to prevent infection. You will also discuss types of anesthesia and your personal tolerance and preferences for these.

Tooth Extraction

If you have remaining teeth that need replacement by dental implants, your dentist must first extract these teeth. Sometimes this is done in the same visit as the implant insertion.

Most patients receive local anesthesia, also called novocaine or lidocaine, to numb the area of tooth extraction and replacement. You will not feel any pain during the dental implant steps and the process does not take long. But you may feel some pressure or a tug when the tooth is removed.

Dental Implant Insertion and Bone Grafting

There are two types of dental implants used by dentists today. These include one inserted into your jawbone and another that sits directly beneath your gum line. If you are receiving the type of implant that goes into your jaw, this requires strong and healthy bone. When this bone does not have enough mass and strength to support an implant, the dentist can perform a bone grafting procedure.

A bone graft is important for some people as part of their dental implant steps. The jaw must be strong enough to handle the mechanics and pressure of chewing. So, if you need more bone, you receive a graft from another area of your jaw.

Having a jawbone graft can delay the dental implant steps for some patients. The bone often requires some time for healing after a graft and before placement of the implant. This process can take between three and nine months. But once the implant is placed into your jawbone, the bone grows around it to make it a permanent part of your gum line.

Abutment Placement

The abutment is the piece that secures to the implant and, in turn, holds a crown. Placement of this connection between the implant and crown is another one of the dental implant steps. It is important that the abutment is well tightened to support your chewing. You will not feel any pain during this process. You receive local anesthesia before abutment placement and only notice a little pressure.

Sometimes dentists or oral surgeons can place the abutment at the same time as the implant. This varies from patient to patient. After abutment placement, your gums need some time to heal before addition of the crown.

Addition of the Permanent Crown

Once your gums have healed after abutment placement, you are ready to receive your permanent crown. The crown is the artificial tooth that looks like your natural teeth. This type of implant does not come out. It is either permanently screwed into place or glued down with dental cement.

If you decide instead to have a removable implant for replacement of multiple teeth at once, this type of implant works much like dentures. You take the teeth out to clean and replace them.

Your Dental Implant Steps at Carolina Dental Arts

As you can see, your individualized process involves multiple dental implant steps based on several factors. The entire procedure can also take multiple visits to the dentist over a course of several months. But the result is a healthy looking smile with permanent missing teeth replacement.

To learn about your own dental implant steps, contact your closest Carolina Dental Arts location. We have three offices in Raleigh, NC and Goldsboro, NC to serve you.

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Kathy Anders

2022-10-18

Excellent staff and love my dentist and the ladies in the office! Mrs. Patsy is my favorite and Liz is second. They are all good at what they do. Keeping my smile and my teeth looking their best! Awesome as always!

Marian Malone

2022-10-10

Ashley who was my hygienist today did such a wonderful job on my teeth. I have gone in for cleanings before with other dentists in the area of Goldsboro and always come out with yellow teeth still.. I did not have any any kind of whitening done she just cleaned my teeth and I felt so good afterward .

Julian Edwards

Awesome

Rodney Mealing Jr

2022-10-04

The Staff and service were great. From scheduling to dental work done, everything went easy. Felt relaxed, would recommend their services.

Tisse Martin (Tisse)

2022-09-29

Carolina Dental Arts staff & services are amazing. I called in as a new patient. They got me in and took care of my tooth the same day, with little waiting time. I was truly impressed. Thanks again CDA, see you guys soon ! 🤗

Janai Donyele

My name is Sharonda. And I have been going to Carolina Dental for years, this is my family, whom I love so much. So kind very considerate, and patient. God bless everyone that works there. Love u guys.

Ellen Barlow

Friendly staff and Dr Taylor!! They really ease your anxiety!