Why Dental Implants Could Be the Solution for Your Loose Dentures

Dentures are a very easy way to deal with complete tooth loss and they are still popular amongst our patients. However while some people will find their dentures are comfortable to wear, others will struggle and this can get much worse after dentures have been used for several years. It is quite common for dentures to begin to fit more loosely after a few years of use and this is because of changes in the shape of your jawbone.

Why Do Dentures Become Loose?

When you have natural teeth, these have quite long roots that are important for not only anchoring the tooth firmly in place, but also for ensuring your jawbone cannot change shape. By providing plenty of stimulation to your jawbone, tooth roots help ensure that old bone cells aren’t renewed. Once teeth are removed, this stimulation no longer occurs and bone gradually reabsorbs which has the effect of making the arch that used to support your teeth narrower and flatter. Of course you could try having your denture remade or even relined. When a denture is relined, we add additional acrylic to the fitting surface to make up for lost bone and gum tissue. This can help it fit a little better but the actual changes to the shape of your jawbone make it harder to comfortably retain a loose denture. This is why we may suggest you think about dental implants to stabilise it.

How Does Denture Stabilisation Work?

Our dentist in Harrow will first need to assess you for dental implants. The good news is that most people are suitable for this treatment but we might need to think about is an alternative way to retain your loose dentures if you are a smoker or if you have any health conditions affecting your immune system. This is because these conditions could slow down healing and greatly increase the risk of implant failure. If you are suitable for dental implants in Harrow and decide to go ahead with treatment, then we can begin planning. This is quite complex but is mostly carried out behind-the-scenes using the results of diagnostic tests that include x-rays and a CT scan. Using this information allows our dentist to precisely plan the exact location of each dental implant to provide optimal stability for your denture.

The implants will be inserted into your jawbone where they have to be left to heal for at least three months for a process called Osseo integration to take place. This allows new bone cells to grow on and around the implant so it becomes part of your jawbone and will be firmly held in place. Next, your new implant retained denture can be fabricated. It will have special attachments on its fitting surface that will clip onto your dental implants, holding your denture firmly in place and making it much easier to talk and to eat. You will still need to take out your denture for cleaning and you must ensure you keep your dental implants meticulously clean but this is quite easy and very straightforward.

Are you interested in finding out more about dental implants in Harrow? Why not contact Imperial Dental Care for your initial consultation? Call us on 020 8427 2264 to book your appointment today.