I had to get dentures about ten years ago. I’ve always hated them but we didn’t have much money at the time. You do what you can in times like that. Now, we have enough. I’d like to switch to dental implants if at all possible. Did it take me too long to save up or can I still get them?
Belinda
Dear Belinda,
I’m very glad to hear you have reached your goal of saving up for dental implants. You will be much happier with them than removable dentures. Yes, you can still get dental implants. You can almost always get dental implants. However, the longer you have been in dentures, the more bone you’ve lost. Ten years is enough time for some facial collapse to set in.
You can still get the dental implants however, you may need an additional procedure in order to make the implants viable. When you have your diagnostics done, the dentist should be able to tell you if you still have enough bone support, or if you need to have some bone grafting done. Moving forward without enough bone will lead to implant failure. Make sure the dentist does an adequate diagnostic workup, including a CT scan. Getting dental implants is a 3-dimensional procedure and your dentist really needs 3-dimensional images to ensure proper placement.
Benefits of Implant Overdentures
What you’ll actually get is called implant overdentures. This will place four to six dental implants in each arch and then anchor a denture to them, as you can see in the image above. These have many advantages over your current dentures.
- Security. Implant overdentures will never have any embarrassing slips.
- Increased Chewing Capacity. Even the best fitting removable dentures reduce your chewing capacity by 50%. With dental implants to keep them tightly in place, it will be like having healthy, natural teeth again.
- No Facial Collapse. The implants are essentially prosthetic teeth roots. This signals to your brain that you need your jawbone intact and therefore it will not resorb the minerals.
Enjoy your new smile.
This blog is brought to you by Decatur, AL Dentists Drs. Drake and Wallace.