Dentures versus Overdentures
If you are missing an arch of teeth, your dentist can offer you several options for replacing them. With so many solutions now available for restorations, it certainly can be a bit confusing to identify the differences between them. Major tooth loss is still treated conceptually with dentures, but there are new versions of restorations called overdentures that integrate the latest dental implant technology. Here are a few comparisons between traditional dentures and overdentures to help you make an informed choice.
Dentures and Overdentures Comparisons
Traditional dentures are artificial crowns mounted in a gum-colored acrylic tray. These dentures simply rest on your gums and are held in place with dental adhesive. Overdentures will look like traditional dentures, but they are secured in your mouth by attaching to titanium implants that have been surgically placed in your jawbone. Because they attach to these dental implants, the overdentures are far more stable and secure.
One of the major benefits of overdentures is a more natural eating experience. Traditional dentures can often mask your ability to taste food by covering the taste buds in the roof of your mouth. Overdentures do not cover your palate. Foods you might have to reconsider because of unstable conventional dentures, like anything hard, can now be bit and chewed with stable overdentures.
Speaking and talking is also easier and more natural with secured overdentures. Your speech will be clearer, especially with specific characters, which can often be muffled or lisped with conventional dentures.
Regarding your oral health and an unseen advantage, overdentures provide the huge benefit of maintaining your jawbone density. The overdentures transfer the constant forces of biting and chewing, through the dental implants which are functioning as artificial roots, into your jawbone. Receiving these continued sensations keeps the integrity of your jaw, preventing the bone from atrophying, and losing mass.
This natural shrinking of the jawbone, called resorption, happens often with traditional dentures because there is no solid connection linking the denture and the jawbone telling the bone it is still being used. Jawbone resorption is what causes the conventional dentures to stop fitting well, requiring frequent adjustment, and will also lead to your face looking more sunken and aged as the bone structure diminishes.
One advantage of traditional dentures is they are initially more affordable than overdentures, because they do not need the surgical procedure of placing the implants. But, over an extended time, the adjustments and replacements associated with conventional dentures will begin to add up. Overdentures are far less likely to have any of these problems, so the initial investment will save you extended expenses in the future but will also maintain your overall oral health.
Benefits of Implant Supported Dentures
Whichever type of implant supported dentures you specifically choose will deliver immediate benefits. A stable, secure, and comfortable fit, improvements to your tasting experience, the self-confidence to speak and talk, the ability to enjoy some favorite foods again, and the elimination of jawbone loss are among the primary benefits of implant supported dentures. Traditional dentures will indeed provide you restoration, but why not consider investing in a restoration that will help you look and feel your best for decades.
Difference Between Implant Retained Overdenture and Implant Supported Overdenture
