If you consider the ingenious design of our natural teeth, it’s easy to appreciate the success of dental implants. Both consist of a root portion that serves as an anchor to the jaw bone and both extend above the gumline to create a strong biting or chewing surface.
If you compare the design of the natural teeth to that of a traditional denture, it quickly becomes evident that the denture falls short in a several key areas. That’s why patients who wear dentures in Chicago are choosing dental implants to resolve those discrepancies as well as the stigma and discomfort that a set of unanchored false teeth brings.
Without anchoring to the jaw bone like a natural tooth root, a denture is essentially an appliance that relies on soft gum tissue for support. Floating on top of such an unstable foundation presents a major challenge for denture wearers. Typically, even with the help of denture adhesives and pastes, keeping a denture in place can begin to consume all of your waking hours and can severely restrict your diet.
To eliminate the dilemma, our oral and maxillofacial surgeon can utilize a few strategically placed dental implants to retain (anchor) your denture.
Right away, you’ll notice that there will never again be a need to purchase denture pastes or adhesive products. That’s because the implants work together with your jaw bone to create a strong and permanent foundation for your denture teeth. The implants are resistant to the bone loss that would occur in the absence of a tooth root, therefore their positions remain constant even after years of daily use.
Next, you’ll notice that a new level of self-confidence will begin to emerge. That’s because you can enjoy eating, speaking, and smiling without the embarrassment of an ill-fitting denture. Living with the fear that your denture will slip, click, or otherwise be publicly revealed isn’t really living at all!
The substantial support that dental implants provide can transform your denture from a “plate” into a comfortable and efficient set of teeth.
To learn more about what dental implants can do for your denture in Chicago Illinois, call ORA® Oral Surgery & Implant Studio for a well needed soulution.
Chicago patients who have worn dentures for a number of years tend to notice that the devices don’t fit as well as they used to. As the years go by, dentures are increasingly likely to slip out of place and they get more uncomfortable to wear as well.
This phenomenon occurs because the jawbone changes shape over time in edentulous patients. With no root structures present to hold the jawbone in place, it continues to wear away and recede, persistently compromising the fit of your dentures.
If you’ve noticed that your dentures are getting loose, you can have the appliances re-lined to improve the fit or even opt for an entirely new set of dentures. These are only temporary fixes, though. Your jawbone will continue to atrophy and eventually you’ll find yourself with ill-fitting dentures on your hands again.
A trip to ORA® Oral Surgery & Implant Studio will give you a better long-term solution: dental implants.
Our experienced oral surgeons at ORA® can place dental implants to anchor an arch of artificial teeth. Implant-supported dentures, such as the All-on-4 system, are stable unlike conventional dentures. They stay in place and it’s easier to chew with them, too.
Dental implants are the perfect complement to dentures, and they come with a number of additional benefits, as well. The screw-like structures are made of titanium, which allows your jawbone to fuse with them and become a permanent fixture in the mouth.
By mimicking the structure of a biological tooth’s root and supporting the jaw bone, dental implants help to prevent jaw atrophy. However, enough bone material must be present at the time of placement to give the implant sufficient opportunity to integrate with that bone.
Although long-term denture wearers may have already experienced extensive bone loss, particularly in areas where the molars used to be, they can still be eligible for implant-supported dentures with either bone grafting or by utilizing the bone in the anterior portion of the jaw.
The All-on-4 technique is particularly valuable for such patients. Using this approach, your Chicago oral surgeon will take advantage of the patterns of jawbone erosion, placing the four implants toward the front of the jaw, where the bone wears away most slowly.
Contact ORA® Oral Surgery & Implant Studio at 312-328-9000 to ask about dental implants if you’ve noticed your dentures getting looser as the months pass.
Recent advances in dental technology have provided denture wearers with some fantastic opportunities for obtaining stronger, more beautiful smiles. Patients who are wearing dentures in Chicago are turning to this experienced oral surgeon for dental implants that can completely change their outlook on life.
Dental implants can be used in an extraordinary number of combinations to replace single teeth or multiple teeth. Dental Implants can be utilized to replace an entire upper or lower denture, according to each patient’s needs. A thorough examination by this skilled oral surgeon, who is well-versed in the intricacies of the dental implant process, is necessary to determine the best use of the implants.
Patients who are deemed healthy enough to undergo outpatient surgery, which means most everyone, can be considered as candidates for dental implants. The strength and stability of the dental implant can be directly attributed to the relationship between the implant and the jawbone. Since the implant is surgically placed and will become anchored to the bone, it quickly and permanently becomes fused into place. With proper healing, the implant serves as an artificial tooth root, capable of sustaining the tremendous forces of chewing and biting.
As a single artificial tooth root, the implant is typically used to replace one natural tooth. As the number of implants increases, more of the chewing surface can be comfortably replaced. Multiple implants are often used to support an entire denture on both the upper and lower jaws.
The alternatives for replacing a denture with dental implants are highly customizable. Implants can be used to form a permanent base in order to stabilize a removable denture or as an anchor for a permanent denture. In either instance, the denture is locked in place during eating and speaking, eliminating the need for adhesive pastes and denture glues.
As more patients are realizing the tremendous advantages of dental implants for improving the fit of dentures, the treatment possibilities continue to grow. If you are interested in replacing your denture with dental implants, plan your visit with our Chicago implant dentistry team as soon as possible.
For years, edentulous patients were forced to turn to dentures in Chicago as their only option for tooth replacement. Unfortunately, dentures have a long list of disadvantages. They lose their fit over time and repeatedly slip out of place. They can be uncomfortable and feel quite unnatural, and dentures require an ill-tasting adhesive that isn’t always effective.
Now, patients who are missing an entire arch of teeth can visit this oral surgeon for a better alternative. This oral surgeon in Chicago can place between four and six dental implants to anchor a denture in place.
The support of dental implants offers a major benefit for denture wearers. The implants function like the missing roots of the teeth. This prevents a process known as resorption, which results in the loss of the jaw bone over time, from taking place.
Conventional dentures, on the other hand, do nothing to stabilize the jaw, which eventually wears down, shrinks back and changes shape as a result. Those changes in the bone cause the denture to lose its fit over the course of several years and require patients to have new dentures repeatedly fabricated.
Implant-supported dentures have a host of other appealing features, as well. Implant-supported dentures have minimal effect on speech and allow patients to maintain a more varied diet than their traditional counterparts do. These appliances offer a more natural appearance and they feel more like biological teeth, too. Patients with implant-supported dentures also have more confidence in the knowledge that their dentures won’t slip out of place at an inopportune moment.
Of course, dental implants need sufficient bone material to facilitate the osseointegration process (forming a bond with the surrounding bone). In the vast majority of cases, this oral surgeon can place the dental implants in the remaining bone available in a denture wearer’s mouth. However, in patients with significant bone loss, sinus augmentation or other bone grafts may be needed before the dental implants can be placed.
If you are facing an extraction of all of your upper or lower teeth or if you have been wearing dentures for some time, discuss implant-supported dentures with Dr. Steven Koos, your oral surgeon serving Chicago, to determine if they would be a better choice for you.
People who wear dentures usually find that their fit deteriorates over time. When the teeth have been extracted or have fallen out, as is the case with denture wearers, the jaw bone no longer can rely on the teeth’s roots as structural anchors to stimulate it. As a result, that bone erodes, altering the shape that the denture was originally designed to fit. Eventually, the bone resorption progresses to a point at which the denture must be replaced.
This type of dentures dilemma can be resolved with a visit to Dr. Steven Koos, your Chicago Loop oral surgeon, who can place dental implants to secure an entire arch of artificial teeth and replace dentures permanently.
Dental implants present a superior tooth replacement method because they prevent the bone loss that alters the fit of dentures. The implants essentially replace the function of the tooth’s root, warding off further deterioration of the bone.
Dr. Koos may even be able to help denture wearers in the Chicago Loop who have already suffered some bone loss by using an implant placement approach known as All-on-4 dental implants, which holds the denture in place using just four strategically placed implants. The bone wears away most quickly where it is the thinnest, which is in the rear of the upper jaw. The All-on-4 technique maximizes the available bone toward the front of the jaw, startegically angling the implants below the gumline to ensure that there is room to accommodate them.
The artificial arch of teeth can be designed to the patient’s specifications, creating a smile that is remarkably natural in its appearance. Dentures held in place by dental implants are easy to care for as well. In some cases, they may be removed and cleaned in the same way as traditional dentures.
If it has been a few years since your dentures were originally fitted and you’ve noticed that your dentures are starting to slip out of place on a regular basis, call 312.328.9000 to schedule an appointment with our Chicago oral surgery All-on-4 center to see if dental implants would be appropriate in your case.
If you are faced with the loss of some or all of your teeth, today’s technology and advances in dentistry mean that you have several options other than traditional ill-fitting dentures. Your ORA oral surgeon offers permanent prosthetic teeth anchored by dental implants. While some dental implant techniques require more invasive surgery, bone grafting and sometimes a lengthy healing process, other approaches take much less time, heal more quickly, and still provide the advantage of permanently secured dentures, or replace dentures altogether.
Types of Implant Secured Dentures and Implant Bridges
Traditional dental implants consist of a titanium fixture that is anchored in the jawbone. Placing this type of implant requires an oral surgeon to usually make incisions in the gums, possibly build up lost bone, and also involves a healing process that can last several months. The prosthetic teeth either are secured by a set of implants or are permanently attached to these implants, thereby replacing loose-fitting, unstable removable dentures. Unlike traditional dentures, they are streamlined, and either firmly secure dentures in place or replace dentures entirely with a long-span permanent bridge that is not removed.
Another new approach to replacing many lost teeth is the All-on-4 procedure. This procedure can be used in any situation but offers an exciting solution for patients that were previously told that they could not have implants because of insufficient bone mass to support traditional implants. Making use of areas in the jawbone that have more substantial bone mass, the ORA oral surgeon places four implants, two angled and two straight, on which a single long spanning bridge is placed that very same day, replacing all the missing teeth. The All-on-four bridges of this type remain stable in the mouth, reducing the likelihood of discomfort due to rubbing or slipping as seen with traditional dentures.
What Approach is Best for You?
Which procedure will work best for you depends upon how many teeth you need to have replaced, as well as your overall health and the condition of the bone in your lower and upper jaws. A consultation with an experienced ORA oral surgeon will help you determine what approach will provide you with the best, most comfortable and long lasting option.
For more information about alternatives to traditional dentures in Chicago, please contact our office to make an appointment or to schedule a consultation.
If you consider the ingenious design of our natural teeth, it’s easy to appreciate the success of dental implants. Both consist of a root portion that serves as an anchor to the jaw bone and both extend above the gumline to create a strong biting or chewing surface.
