If you’ve lost all of your teeth on a single dental ridge, then dentures can restore your quality of life by reestablishing your ability to bite, chew, and speak. If you’ve already worn dentures for a while, however, then you may realize that, as advanced as the conventional dental prosthetics are, they aren’t perfect. Initially, your denture is custom-designed to fit your dental ridge as snugly as your natural row of teeth. Over time, though, the prosthetic often loses this grip, and you may need to continuously have your dentures remeasured, readjusted, and, in some cases, replaced. Your Allen dental implant specialist, Dr. Marco Cueva, explains why even modern dentures slip, and how you can prevent yours from losing their firm grip.
The Importance of a Lifelike Foundation
Although dentures are designed to closely mimic the appearance of your natural teeth, they aren’t designed to replace the entire structures of your teeth. Instead, dentures only replace the visible, chewing portions of your teeth, called the crowns. Unfortunately, the loss of your teeth’s roots can also prove detrimental to your smile, and as good as they may look, dentures cannot replace these roots by themselves. Healthy tooth roots, which are embedded in your jawbone, are stimulated by biting and chewing, alerting your body to their presence and inviting an ample supply of nutrients to support your jawbone and sustain the teeth it holds. Losing one or more roots and their stimulation can mean fewer nutrients are directed to your jawbone. Over time, the deficiency causes your jawbone to slowly deteriorate, changing the shape of your jaw and dental ridges until your replacement teeth no longer fit properly.
Implant-Supported Dentures from Your Allen Dental Implant Specialist
By supporting your denture on a series of dental implants, you can eliminate the problem of denture slippage on two fronts; the prosthetic tooth roots provide a support base that’s anchored in your jawbone, rather than glued to your gums, and replacing the tooth root stimulation to help prevent your jawbone from deteriorating. To learn more about implant-supported dentures, or to find out if you should upgrade your dentures with a series of dental implants, schedule an appointment with your Allen periodontal specialist by calling (972) 390-9944 today. Located in the 75013 area, we proudly welcome patients from Allen, Plano, Richardson, McKinney, Frisco, Fairview, Murphy, Wylie, Lewisville, Carrolton, and surrounding communities.
