If you’re not familiar with dental practices, the difference between dentures and implants may not be common knowledge to you. But someday, maybe even today, you’ll find a need for one or the other. Whether you’re missing one or many teeth, you should know what it means to get a set of dentures or a dental implant so you can be prepared for what comes next. Either way, your local Fontana dentist will be able to equip you with whatever you need for fully-functioning teeth.
Which Treatment Option Is Best For You?
Depending on your current tooth situation, you could benefit from either dentures or implants. There are a number of ways you can lose your teeth, and there’s an ideal treatment option for every sort of incident. This blog can help guide you in making the right decision, but ultimately your dentist is an expert on the topic and will be able to give you the most optimal recommendation for your specific needs.
How Tooth Loss Occurs
A missing tooth, or multiple teeth, can happen through both natural and accidental occurrences. As you can probably guess, natural tooth loss happens with age and is common in patients around 50 years old. Other reasons for tooth loss include:
- Cavities
- Gum disease
- Injury
- Trauma
- Bruxism (teeth grinding)
- Smoking
- Diabetes
- High blood pressure
While most accidents aren’t preventable (hence why they’re called accidents), some of the disease-related causes can be prevented or delayed with proper dental hygiene. Brushing twice a day, flossing, and visiting your local dentist for professional teeth cleaning about twice a year are a few of the most recommended activities for fighting off gum disease, cavities, and many other problems.
Choosing Your Treatment
So how do you know whether dentures or implants are right for you? If you’re only missing a single tooth, dental implants are the more practical option since it’s easy to put in one fake tooth. It is possible to replace multiple teeth with implants, but at a certain point, dentures become the more reasonable option. Dentures actually come in two forms, full or complete dentures and partial dentures. If you’re missing all of your teeth, a full set of dentures is the way to go. If you’re missing a handful of teeth all in the same area, partial dentures are a valid option that effectively restores your mouth’s functionality just like any other treatment. They’re designed to be set into the open gap for a snug fit that feels completely natural.
What to Expect During Your Treatment
Once you’ve decided on which type of treatment is right for you, you can prepare yourself for what to expect. The procedures for each of these options are very different, but both result in a happy smile and functional set of teeth. Your Fontana dentist will also give you a detailed explanation of how the process will go so you won’t be left in the dark. It’s your mouth after all, so you have every right to know what’s going on in there.
The Denture Process
Whether you’re getting complete or partial dentures, you’ll always start off with an initial examination so your dentist can evaluate your mouth and visualize how your dentures will turn out. Every type of denture is meant to fit snugly for a natural feel that won’t hinder your ability to eat and drink comfortably. This is done by getting an imprint of your mouth for the most accurate custom product. Your dentist may ask you to bite down on a wax base as hard as you can and for a set amount of time for the best results. The wax imprint is then sent to a lab where they’ll craft your dentures. Once they’re delivered to your dentist, you’ll test them out in the office to see if any final adjustments need to be made. It’s really as simple as that!
The Implant Process
While the procedure for getting dentures is rather simple, getting a tooth implant requires a bit of surgery. This is because a post needs to be screwed into the empty section of your gums in order to secure a tooth replacement. Step-by-step, your procedure will look something like this:
- You’ll come in for an initial consultation and exam.
- On the day of the surgery, a titanium post will be inserted into your gums.
- A time of healing is needed for your gums to securely form around the post.
- During the return visit, the fake tooth is placed over the post.
- Your dentist will test your new tooth to make sure it’s working properly.
Top-rated dental offices in Fontana like to use titanium posts for their dental implants because it offers a higher level of strength compared to most other materials. Plus, the biocompatible and hypoallergenic qualities of titanium make it more suitable for the human body to accept. This means that a wider range of patients will be able to benefit from dental implants with minimal issues.
The Best Dental Office In Fontana
Trusting someone else to treat your mouth with an operation that could stick with you for the rest of your life can be a stressful endeavor, but it doesn’t have to be so anxiety-inducing. By visiting Southridge Dental Group, you’ll be in the care of friendly and compassionate professionals in the field so you’ll have nothing to worry about. You can rely on countless years of helping the community along with the assistance of modern technology for a comfortable visit every time. Southridge Dental Group is especially accessible to nearly everyone with a wide range of payment options and flexible financing through CareCredit! Call (909) 822-9090 with any questions you may have and make an appointment for your consultation visit.