It’s not that unusual for an American adult to be missing teeth. Over 175 million people are estimated to be missing at least one tooth, and around 40 million have no natural teeth at all. That’s a lot of dentures.
However, though dentures have a history dating back for millennia, they’re no longer the only way for you to replace missing teeth, nor are they the best solution. The new standard of care for teeth replacement uses dental implants.
A better replica of a tooth
While conventional dentures are certainly a solid alternative for many people, perhaps their biggest flaw is that they only replace the crowns of your teeth. There’s no replacing the root of a natural tooth, so dentures can be difficult to hold in place since there’s no connection between the denture plate and the bone of your jaw.
Plates shifting and slipping is the annoying day-to-day drawback of dentures. However, the lack of teeth roots causes another problem, and it’s one that can make plate movement issues worse.
Without the interaction between teeth roots and jawbone, you’ll lose bone tissue over time, changing the shape of jaw and gums that your denture plates fit over. While these can be refitted and lined to some extent before you need a completely new set, the changes are inevitable and progressive.
Dental implants restore the natural root/bone stimulation necessary for maintaining bone tissue, while providing a solid anchor for artificial tooth crowns.
All-on-4 implants
While it’s certainly possible to replace each lost natural tooth with an implant and crown, that’s not always necessary, particularly when you have adjacent teeth missing. You can often support multiple crowns with fewer implants.
This is the principle behind all-on-4 implant systems. Instead of a conventional denture plate standing in for all the teeth on your top or bottom jaw, four implants can now provide enough support for a single arch plate with all teeth restorations for either jaw.
Instead of friction fit or adhesives as with conventional denture plates, the all-on-4 system permits positive snap locking between plate and implant. There’s no longer embarrassing movement that can compromise both speech and chewing.
All-on-4 advantages
Choosing an all-on-4 approach is economical when compared to replacing teeth on a one-to-one basis. Your entire mouth can be restored with eight implants supporting as many crowns as you need. The boost to your confidence can be significant, as your smile is not only restored, you can count on its stability.
As already mentioned, the interaction between implants and bone tissue keeps the condition of your jawbones healthy. This not only preserves your oral health inside your mouth, it prevents some of the collapses of the face and cheeks that’s typical with conventional dentures.
Versatility may be one of the most outstanding advantages of implants and all-on-4 systems. The condition of your mouth and jaws can be factored into the teeth restoration process, so your teeth are custom designed and adapted to you and your lifestyle.
Contact the implant experts at A&N Dental. Dr. Mandana Kheshtchin and her staff can answer your questions about the all-on-4 implant system as well as any other concerns you may have about your oral health. Call the office or use the online booking tool today to request your personal consultation.