I am curious. I’m losing all of my teeth and really wanted to get dental implants to replace them. When I priced how much it would cost to replace each tooth that way, it was astronomical. However, I’ve heard there is something called implant dentures. Will these do close to the same thing or is it just like regular dentures?

Rita

Dear Rita,

I hope your dentist didn’t imply that you needed a dental implant for each tooth. That would be too expensive for anyone, except for the wealthiest of individuals. It’s also totally unnecessary. When you’re talking about replacing all of your teeth, you’ll actually want implant overdentures (pictured above).

These use four to six dental implants in each arch and will completely secure your denture to your jawbone. They also give you all the protection of dental implants.

Advantages of Implant Supported Dentures

• Your dentures will be completely secure
• Your chewing capacity will allow you to eat whatever you want
• The implants protect you from facial collapse

The Biggest Danger of Dentures

When your teeth are removed, your body will immediately begin to resorb the minerals in your jawbone. After ten or so years, you will no longer have enough jawbone left to even support dentures. This is known as facial collapse. Getting those dental implants placed signals to your brain that your body still has teeth and needs those minerals to support the roots of your teeth. This protects your jawbone and protects you from facial collapse.

This blog is brought to you by East Cobb Dentist Dr. Cristi Cheek.