Older People and Dental Implants

The Benefits of Same Day Implants for older patients in Derby

Few of us like to admit to getting old, but try as we might, it will happen to us all or at least those fortunate enough. Whilst it is said that with age comes wisdom, it’s probably fair to say that most people would swap that for the energy that they once had as well as their looks.

Aches and pains are also increasingly likely as we age, as are other medical problems and unfortunately, dental health is no exception to this rule. Whilst some people, who probably have strong genes, may survive well into their old age with a healthy full, or more or less full, set of teeth, the majority will also lose a significant number of them for a variety of reasons. This can be problematic for reasons other than appearance and can have an effect on the overall health of an elderly person.

Dentures and The Problem of Eating

By far the most common method used to replace missing teeth is, of course, dentures. We all probably know an elderly person who has dentures and who seems to have great difficulty in keeping them in their mouth for much of the time. This is actually unlikely to be caused by the dentures themselves but by the fact that once teeth have been lost, the jawbone gradually shrinks making the dentures ill fitting.

Even for those whose dentures still fit reasonably well, eating can still present problems. Because the dentures are supported by the gums, it is difficult to put significant pressure on them without causing at least some discomfort. This tends to lead older people with dentures to avoid eating hard foods or foods that require a lot of chewing. Omitting these foods from a person’s diet however, can be detrimental to their health if they are not getting the required nutrition.

Same Day Teeth – An Alternative to Dentures

For those older people who are fortunate to have only lost the odd tooth, individual dental implants make a great alternative to partial dentures and will provide the person with a strong replacement which should last them for the rest of their lives.

For those though, whose tooth loss is more extensive, using individual implants to replace lost teeth would be very inconvenient and cause perhaps too much distress to an elderly person as it would entail many visits to our dental implant practice in Derby, not to mention the potential cost.

Instead, it is possible to replace a full arch of missing teeth in just a single day, still using dental implants, but in a procedure known as ‘teeth in a day’ or ‘same day implants’. This procedure, as the name suggests can be done in just a single day and is both effective and convenient for the patient.

If there are any teeth remaining in the arch, then these will need to be extracted first. Once this has been done and the arch is clear of any teeth, dental implants are carefully placed into the jawbone, two at the front of the jaw and two towards the rear. The front two implants are typically quite standard whilst the rear two are unique implants which are placed at an angle. This gives increased stability to the implants and is ideal for those with less dense bone structure as is often the case in the elderly.

Once these have been placed, a full set of replacement teeth is fitted in the form of a fixed bridge. This is held in place by the implants and will give the patient a new set of teeth which are secure and strong.

Because this fixed bridge is held in place by the implants and not supported by the gums, this enables the patient to apply more pressure when eating thereby enabling them to eat a full and unrestricted diet and gain the nutrition that is needed to contribute to health and vitality in later years.

This revolutionary process is also known as ‘all on 4’ and you now don’t have to travel to London to get it. Our experienced Derby implant dentist is fully trained in the technique and will be pleased to assist you.

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