For a long time now, dentures have been the go-to treatment for a large amount of missing teeth. The reason for this is the fact that dentures offer a restoration that is both quick and affordable. However, the trade-off here is the fact that dentures also have a reputation for being uncomfortable and generally unreliable. It is because of these reasons, among others, that more and more of our teeth restoration patients are choosing to use dental implants to restore their missing teeth instead. If you would like to find out what makes dental implants superior to treatment with dentures, we recommend you continue reading.
Dental implants are completely unique among teeth restoration treatments because of the way they are osseointegrated into your oral anatomy. During the implant procedure, an implant fixture is placed in the empty spot on your jawbone left behind by your missing tooth. As it heals, a process called osseointegration works to integrate your implant fixture into your oral anatomy. Osseointegration is only possible because the implant fixture is made from titanium, a biocompatible alloy that is not recognized as unnatural by your body. Thanks to this process, your implant fixture is effectively fused to your jawbone, just like your natural teeth are.
Dental implants come with many exclusive benefits thanks to osseointegration. For instance, your dental implants should never get loose or fall out of place. The reason for this is that their fusion to your jawbone locks them permanently in place. Dentures, on the other hand, merely sit on top of your gums. You may need to use a messy adhesive to keep your dentures firmly in position. Unfortunately, dentures still have a reputation for moving out of place even with this adhesive. And, if your dentures fall out of position, they may actually damage your remaining natural teeth in the process.
Another benefit that dental implants have over dentures is how easy they are to maintain. You will merely need to brush and floss your implants regularly, just like you would your natural teeth. Even with this minimal amount of care, your dental implants can end up lasting you a lifetime. If you use dentures to restore your missing teeth, you will need to remove them every night and soak them in a cleaning solution in order to ensure that they don’t dry out and shrink. However, no matter how well you take care of your dentures, they will still only end up lasting you about seven years before they will need to be replaced.
It is not uncommon that we receive a patient who is simply fed up with their dentures and desires a more reliable teeth restoration treatment. As these patients know, it is never too late to restore missing teeth with dental implants. Whether you are tired of your dentures or are suffering from freshly lost teeth, we can provide quality dental implants that can have you smiling again. If you would like to learn more about dental implants and what sets them apart from dentures, we encourage you to contact us and schedule a no-obligation consultation with dental implant provider Dr. K. Ashraf today.
During this difficult time, we are trying to do our part during the COVID-19 crisis. We are continuing to see patients with dentofacial emergencies. This means as one of the few practices remaining open during this pandemic, we are treating patients with emergencies from our fellow dental colleagues, in the Waterloo and Wellington regions (Waterloo-Kitchener-Cambridge and Guelph and surrounding townships)
We hope to assist and help as many people as we can. We also hope this will reduce the number of patients that are visiting hospitals that can be treated by us, thus freeing up time and room for the hospitals and slowing the spread of this virus.
Some additional steps our practice has taken to slow down the spread of the virus and "flatten the curve" are:
- Sanitation of common areas such as the front entry doors and the waiting room in between every patient
- Appointments are spread out so that the waiting area only has one patient at a time
- All front desk staff are wearing masks
- State of the art air purifiers (Surgically Clean Air Units x5 in total)
- Patients receive gloves upon entering the clinic
And of course we have all required PPE protocol set as a standard by the Royal College of Dental Surgeons and the Province of Ontario.
During this time we all need to help each other and do our part, only then can we pull through this quicker and return to a more happy, thankful and prosperous society.
Wishing you all the best of health,
From our family to yours.