How to get the most out of life with your dentures
Dentures remain one of the most popular ways to replace several or all of the natural teeth. Sheen Dental Implants in Richmond offers advanced denture options that are designed to give you back all the action and appearance of a second set of natural teeth, alleviating many of the common issues reported by patients who wear dentures.
The problem with traditional dentures is that they do nothing to address the issue of bone loss – a common side-effect of losing many natural teeth. Tooth roots are essential to keeping the jaw bone strong and healthy and traditional dentures do not replace them.
At our Richmond dental practice we routinely use dental implants to stabilise dentures, keeping them firmly in your mouth whilst also keeping your jaw bone strong and healthy. Implants are replacements for the root parts of the teeth. They are made out of titanium, which supports the growth of new bone tissue and blood vessels up around the implants, forming a strong bond akin to that of a natural root over a period of a few months.
Common issues reported by wearers of traditional dentures include problems with:
- Eating
- Speaking
- Confidence/socialising.
All of these are caused by a shrinking jaw bone changing your dentures’ fit; they can also all be prevented with dental implants.
Implants are placed directly in your jaw bone during a minor operation, which is carried out under local anaesthetic or conscious sedation here at our Richmond dental practice. For denture stabilisation you won’t need as many implants as teeth: between two and four implants per jaw is usually enough to support a full arch of dentures.
During the healing period, you will be able to continue wearing your old dentures, after your Richmond dentist has adjusted them, so there’s no need to worry about being left without teeth.
When healing and integration is complete, you will be called back to our Richmond clinic so that your dentist can attach your permanent new denture to your dental implants. You have the option of a removable denture that can be taken out for cleaning, or a permanent one that you brush like natural teeth.