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Choosing Between Implants and Dentures
Dallas, TX

Your teeth are an important feature in your mouth, without them your entire life is negatively impacted. Simple everyday tasks, such as eating and speaking, become close to impossible and even your confidence may be shaken. At Dallas Prosthodontics, our goal is to provide you with replacement teeth, restoring your smile back to what it once was. Two of our most popular options are implants and dentures.

Dental Implants

Dental implants are small, titanium rods that we surgically place into your jawbone. The implants act as anchors, holding false crowns securely in place, just as the root of a tooth would do. They can be used to replace a single tooth or a whole arch of teeth. The number of implants required is determined on a complete exam and x-rays of your mouth. Because implants are a surgical procedure, they do take significantly more time to heal, however, you will be left with a beautiful, completely natural looking smile. There are many benefits of dental implants.

Pros and Cons of Implants

Benefits include:

•	Fixed
•	Comfortable
•	Stable. They will not slip out of place or fall out
•	You can care for them just as you would your natural teeth
•	Because they are implanted in your jawbone, they stimulate the bone just as a natural tooth root would do. The integrity of your jawbone is maintained, meaning your facial structure will not change shape
•	Because your jawbone does not change shape, you do not need to have your implants replaced

Disadvantages include:

•	More expensive
•	Require surgery
•	You need to have sufficient bone mass in your jaw to be considered for dental implants. If the bone is too weak, you may need a bone graft surgery first before you can have implant surgery

Dentures

Dentures are removable prosthetic teeth. The false teeth are set into a gum-colored acrylic base that rests directly on your gums which support the teeth. Dentures are meant to be removed at night for a thorough cleaning and left out to allow your gums to rest.

Pros and Cons of Dentures

Benefits include:

•	More modern dentures are made to look more natural. The teeth can be customized, as can the acrylic used for the base
•	Easy to adjust
•	Can accommodate further tooth loss
•	Getting dentures is a non-invasive procedure that does not require surgery. Even if you need to have teeth extracted, healing time is significantly less when compared to dental implants
•	Affordable, even more so if you need to have multiple teeth replaced

Disadvantages include:

•	More maintenance is required
•	Can shift in your mouth or fall out
•	You need to train yourself how to eat and speak, as there are foreign objects in your mouth
•	Food can get trapped in your dentures between the base and your gums
•	The acrylic base, when viewed up close, does not appear completely natural
•	Partial dentures utilize metal clasps, which are visible
•	Because you have nothing in your jaw, the bone begins to resorb, which then alters the shape of your face
•	A changing jaw means that you will need to be refitted for new dentures every few years (7 on average)

Single Tooth Replacement
Dallas, TX

Missing a single tooth can look trivial, but it can really change the appearance of your smile and even affect your dental health. One missing tooth will leave a space that will affect how you chew food, and even disturb your speech production. Thankfully, you can replace just a single tooth without waiting for others to fall out or even causing a detriment to your jawbone health. At Dallas Prosthodontics, we carry out single tooth replacement to help patients restore their smiles, oral health, and ability.

What Is A Single Tooth Replacement?

Single tooth replacement is a procedure our professionals perform to restore a missing tooth for patients. Dental implants are the most suitable solutions for a single tooth replacement. Dental implants consist of three parts. One is a tiny titanium post which is surgically placed inside the jawbone to act as a tooth root. Another is an abutment which holds the third part which is a crown to the titanium post. With so many benefits to offer, dental implants prove to be long lasting solutions with little to worry about.

How Is A Single Tooth Replaced With A Dental Implant?

Once you lose a tooth, our professionals advise that you come for a replacement as soon as possible. This is to prevent the jawbone in that space from losing its density. In your initial appointment, our professionals will examine the vacant space. We will also go through your dental and health records to ensure that you are a fit candidate for a dental implant.

If you do not have adequate jawbone density in the space, you may require an initial bone graft procedure. This will help to rebuild your jawbone to required health. Once healed, the procedure for placing the dental implant will commence. Our team will surgically place the implant post into your jaw, and allow your jawbone to bond with the post during a healing period. The bonding is necessary to hold the post securely.

After the jawbone has healed, holding the implant post firmly, we will proceed to attach the abutment to the post. This may require several weeks to heal. Finally, a crown that has been previously designed to fit your teeth alignment will be placed to complete the tooth replacement.

Benefits Of A Single Tooth Replacement

While the most obvious benefit is an instant and enhanced restoration of your beautiful smile, single tooth implants offer better esthetics for your dentition. They subtly blend in with your natural teeth to give the perfect finished look. With dental implants, your natural teeth are all still retained, as other replacement options may require that you remove or reshape some of them.

Also, replacing a single tooth with dental implants ensures that your teeth alignment is preserved, and more importantly, bone loss is prevented. Dental implants are a good choice for your oral health, and they tend to last a lifetime.

So, do not hesitate about replacing your single missing tooth. You can contact us at Dallas Prosthodontics to learn more about how you can benefit from a single tooth replacement. Call us today at (972) 503-7200 to schedule a fitting consultation.