Taking a Confident Bite

Secure alternative to dentures offered at the Darren Bywater Dental Implant Centre.

Albeit it’s something that we wouldn’t recommend, some patients do choose to live with a gap in their teeth where an individual tooth is missing. However, very few would take this option where a full arch of teeth is missing and it is rare indeed to see people who have elected to live without some sort of replacement teeth. Indeed the ‘gummy grin’ sometimes seen on old postcards is something rarely encountered these days, and certainly not in public!

The average person is now perhaps more conscious of their appearance than in the past, and also aware of how this can impact on aspects of their personal life, including relationships and even career. So what options are available for replacement when a person has lost all of their teeth?

Dentures

Traditionally, a set of dentures has been the most popular method where a full arch of teeth needed to be replaced. There is little doubt that modern dentures offer a greater degree of comfort than older types, and also look far more natural. Even these benefits though, for some, don’t outweigh the negatives.

Even the newer breed of dentures are prone to becoming loose in the mouth over a period of time. This has little to do with the dentures themselves, but is a result of bone loss in the jaw where the teeth are missing. This causes the mouth to change shape and the dentures to become less secure.

This can result in a loss of confidence and can make eating certain foods quite tricky, sometimes restricting the diet of denture wearers.

Full arch replacement

At our Derby dental implant centre, we offer patients an alternative in the form of a full arch replacement using dental implants. Rather than use individual implants to replace each missing tooth; a procedure that would be both lengthy and expensive; a number of dental implants are placed into the jaw and a fixed bridge then attached to them.

The number of implants used will vary according to each individual case but is usually between four and eight. Extensive examinations and scans will be made to determine the number needed to provide a successful outcome for each person’s situation.

Advantages

There are a number of advantages of having a missing arch of teeth replaced in this manner. First of all, the replacement teeth can be made to look entirely natural and can be produced to match any existing natural teeth that you have. Also, once fully integrated with the bone in the jaw, the implants offer an extremely secure foundation for the fixed bridge to be attached to. It also minimises any bone loss in the jaw, helping to maintain facial shape.

With no movement of the bridge, wearers can be confident when in conversation with others, that it will not become loose. A full range of foods can also be eaten without the problems associated with dentures. For more information about this increasingly popular alternative to dentures, please call the Darren Bywater Dental Implant Centre on 01332 550933 to arrange a personal consultation with our dental implant team.

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