When we think of the word “dentures” it might conjure images of ill-fitting replacement teeth, unpleasant adhesives, and a restricted diet. Although conventional dentures do have limitations, anchoring dentures to dental implants closely replicates the function of biological teeth. Implant supported dentures are the wave of the future for edentulous patients. They improve oral function, look and feel natural, and provide support to the entire oral health system.

Following are some of the notable advantages of implant supported dentures.

Improved Comfort and Fewer Diet Restrictions

Unsupported dentures can be uncomfortable; they can also make it difficult to enjoy a well-rounded diet. Securing dentures to dental implants, however, greatly increases their functionality so that patients can eat a variety of foods with ease. Implant supported dentures won’t budge when eating a chewy, crunchy, or fibrous piece of food.

Reduced Risk for Bone Loss

Dental implants reduce the severity of bone atrophy after tooth loss. An implant will perform like the root of a tooth so that the bone stays stimulated. Without stimulation, the jaw will deteriorate. Bone deterioration affects oral function and causes premature aging.

A Beautiful Aesthetic

Ill-fitting dentures can make discreet tooth replacement almost impossible. When a set of custom-made dentures is anchored to dental implants, patients enjoy a smile that looks healthy, youthful, and natural.

The Need for Messy Denture Adhesives is Eliminated

Many patients with conventional dentures resort to using adhesives to keep their replacement teeth in place. These adhesives can be a hassle to use. Since implant supported dentures are anchored in the jawbone, adhesives are not necessary to keep replacement teeth in place.

Improved Speech

Dentures that fit improperly can negatively affect speech. Securing dentures to dental implants makes it easier to pronounce words accurately and clearly.

If you’re suffering with uncomfortable dentures or total tooth loss, our skilled oral surgeons can help you determine if implant dentistry meets your needs. Give our team at Dallas Oral Surgery Associates a call to schedule a consultation for implant supported dentures.

What if you could have a full set of replacement teeth that looks and feels natural? Today’s modern prosthetic teeth can restore your smile and your confidence without causing discomfort. Our oral surgeons treat total tooth loss with implant supported dentures. This treatment method, also called All-on-4, involves securing a full denture to four strategically embedded dental implants.

All-on-4 is an excellent treatment option for edentulous patients who desire prosthetic teeth that function like biological ones. Implant supported dentures make enjoying your favorite foods, including crispy vegetables or chewy candy, possible again.

Why Choose Implant Supported Dentures

When prosthetic teeth are anchored to dental implants, patients enjoy more control over their replacement teeth. Many people who’ve worn both traditional dentures and All-on-4 find that implant supported dentures are more comfortable.

Dental implants are small screw-like prosthetics that are embedded into the jawbone through a minimally invasive procedure. These implants then connect to the bases of dentures to hold them in place. Dental implants stabilize dentures so that even prosthetic teeth will not budge, even while eating something fibrous like steak.

Choosing implant supported dentures can preserve more than your self-confidence. Bone atrophy is a common unwanted side of effect of tooth loss that affects one’s appearance and oral function. Since implants keep the jaw active, patients are less likely to lose bone mass after tooth loss. Preserving bone in the jaw is important for maintaining a youthful appearance and a healthy occlusion.

Why Visit an Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon

Our oral and maxillofacial surgeons (OMS) are experts at placing dental implants. Oral surgeons undergo intensive training and education to perform a number of procedures including treatments related to implant dentistry.

This level of expertise can enhance your care and ensure that your replacement teeth look and function exactly as they should. Our team also has access to advanced technology that can make your visits to our practice more comfortable and less invasive.

If you have questions about your tooth replacement options, call Dallas Oral Surgery Associates to schedule an All-on-4 consultation with our oral surgeon.

Tooth loss doesn’t just affect your teeth. You also experience subsequent bone loss that can leave your facial features with a sunken appearance, making you look considerably older than your chronological age.

Fortunately, implant supported dentures can help patients overcome this consequence of tooth loss. When you choose dental implants to restore your smile, those devices preserve the integrity of your bone tissue in the jaw, as well. Furthermore, the treatment process doesn’t even need to be time-consuming. A complete denture can be supported by as few as four dental implants placed in a single appointment.

How Dental Implants Support Restorations And Bone Tissue

Dental implants are made of biocompatible titanium, so after the oral surgeon places implants in your jaw, the bone in the vicinity fuses with them. That osseointegration process leaves the dental implants as fixtures in the jaw. As such, they are able to function similarly to the roots of the absent biological teeth.

Not only do dental implants offer more security in holding the appliance in place, but they also prevent the jawbone atrophy that results in sunken facial features, such as the upper lip or cheeks.

New Approach To Dental Implants: All-on-4

It doesn’t even take a large number of dental implants to support a denture, either. Your oral surgeon can secure the appliance using just four implants. This technique, known as All-on-4, makes implant supported dentures accessible to a wider variety of patients, even those who have experienced bone loss at the rear of the jaw.

With All-on-4, the dental implants are placed toward the front of the jaw. The bone is thicker there and wears away more gradually. Because only four dental implants are needed, they can be placed in a single appointment that takes a matter of hours. Patients may even be able to get a temporary denture at that appointment to wear until osseointegration is complete and they can be fitted with the permanent appliance.

To learn more about the benefits of All-on-4, as well as the treatment process, schedule a no-obligation consultation with our team at Dallas Oral Surgery Associates.

Patients who are pursuing dentures often are concerned about how the appliances will affect their appearance, so we want to reassure you that implant supported dentures offer a lifelike appearance and fit. The nature of dental implants offers a number of additional benefits beyond aesthetic ones to patients who choose this treatment option as well.

Implant Supported Dentures And Your Appearance

Dental implants help to secure a prosthetic arch (denture) in the same way that the roots of your biological teeth anchor the crowns in place. Therefore, you don’t have to worry that your denture will slide out of place as you smile or speak, which can be a risk with conventional dentures.

Additionally, it’s important to note that the materials used to make these appliances nearly replicate the appearance of natural teeth so that your new smile will look almost like your real one (or even better, if you want to enhance your natural smile). You have a great deal of input into this process, so be sure that you tell your oral surgeon exactly what characteristics you want your new smile to have.

Other Benefits Of Implant Supported Dentures

A lifelike appearance isn’t the only benefit that comes along with implant supported dentures. They also offer more stability than conventional dentures. Because the bone gradually fuses with the titanium implants after the oral surgeon inserts them in the jaw, they are able to function like biological tooth roots. Dental implants prevent jawbone erosion, which tends to be problematic with conventional dentures that lose their fit over time as the jaw’s contour changes.

Implant supported dentures are also better equipped for chewing because the link between bone and implant makes the appliance more capable of tolerating stronger forces needed to process more fibrous foods. Dental implants make it less likely that you’ll need to eliminate certain food groups from your diet.

Do you want to learn more about how implant supported dentures can boost your appearance and your oral health? Visit Dallas Oral Surgery Associates for an evaluation and to get more information that can help you make your treatment decision.

With conventional dentures, patients typically notice that the appliances begin to fit more loosely after a few years. This happens because the jawbone slowly erodes after the teeth’s roots are no longer available to anchor it. That jawbone atrophy actually changes the shape of the jaw, and eventually, your denture doesn’t fit as well as it did at first.

Patients who want to avoid this outcome do have an alternative treatment option: implant supported dentures. Dental implants are biocompatible, so the surrounding bone can fuse with them and make them a permanent part of the jaw’s structure after they are placed by the oral surgeon. That osseointegration process helps dental implants to function like the roots of biological teeth and prevent jawbone atrophy.

Long-term standard denture wearers who want to upgrade to an implant supported appliance may have concerns that previous bone loss will prevent them from doing so, but that may not be an issue. An oral surgeon can use a technique known as All-on-4 to overcome this potential obstacle.

With All-on-4, just four dental implants are placed toward the front of the jaw – where the bone is thicker and wears away more gradually – and support the entire denture. The outer two dental implants are angled at the bottom in order to better support the weight of the denture’s rear section.

This treatment approach also offers a shorter timeframe. The four dental implants can be placed in a single appointment. Many patients can also get a temporary denture at that appointment, then return to be fitted with a permanent appliance after osseointegration of the dental implants is complete.

If you want to avoid the pitfalls of conventional dentures or have become dissatisfied with the dentures you got originally, implant supported dentures may be an option for you. Contact our team at Dallas Oral Surgery Associates and schedule a consultation to help you make your treatment decision.

Patients who are concerned that conventional dentures won’t feel comfortable or look natural may want to consider implant supported dentures as an alternative. Long-term denture wearers who want to upgrade their appliances can investigate this treatment option as well. Implant supported dentures have a number of features that make them more appealing than conventional dentures for many patients.

Implant supported dentures tend to be more stable than conventional dentures because the dental implants function like artificial tooth roots and keep the jawbone intact. In contrast, conventional dentures lack such a root-like structure and the jawbone erodes over time, causing the dentures to lose their fit.

Those root-like characteristics also make implant-supported dentures more functional when it comes to chewing. The bond between the bone and the dental implant facilitates the prosthetic’s ability to withstand stronger chewing forces. This means that fewer foods are off-limits with implant supported dentures. Of course, patients should still use common sense, as trying to chew non-food items that could damage your biological teeth could easily harm an implant supported denture as well.

If you are interested in implant supported dentures, the first step is to schedule a consultation with an oral surgeon who will place the dental implants. This procedure is a surgical one, although it can be completed in as little as a few hours.

A technique known as All-on-4 is often used for patients who need restoration of a full upper or lower arch or their entire smile. This approach, in which the oral surgeon places just four dental implants in the jaw to secure the denture, gives more patients the opportunity to take advantage of dental implants, even if they’ve lost a fair amount of bone after losing their teeth. The four dental implants are located toward the front of the jaw, where jawbone erosion unfolds more slowly.

Implant supported dentures are vastly different from standard dentures. To learn more about the characteristics of dental implants and how implant supported dentures may benefit you, schedule a consultation at our office.

Have you lost teeth? Does the process to receive a single dental implant seem too long? If you have lost most of or all of your teeth, there is a quicker solution to tooth replacement than traditional implants that requires less wait time for a complete, restored smile. Offering implant supported dentures with the All-on-4 placement method, our oral surgeon can give you a brand new smile that looks and feels natural.

All-on-4 Implants Support an Entire Arch of Teeth

Dental implants are screw-like posts constructed from titanium and are embedded into the jaw to anchor prosthetics like crowns or dentures. Functioning similarly to roots of teeth, implants provide a sturdy anchor to prosthetic teeth below the surface of the gums. Supported by bone structure, implants provide incredible durability and longevity.

When it comes to implant supported dentures, a series of four, strategically placed implants are embedded surgically into the jaw. Their location in the jaw allows the implants to fully support an arch of dentures. Since the implants are slightly smaller than single tooth dental implants, a set of dentures can often be attached to the implants the same day as the implantation surgery. With single tooth replacements, patients typically don’t receive their permanent crown for at least six months after their initial surgery, while many patients with dentures supported by implants can receive their permanent replacement teeth on the same day as their surgery.

Benefits of All-on-4 Implants

Compared to traditional dentures that lie on top of the gums, dentures supported by implants are far more stable. This allows patients to eat food without restrictions comfortably and efficiently. Other benefits to using implants to support dentures include the prevention of bone resorption, or atrophy. Changes in bone density can lead to patients appearing older than they should and the need for purchasing new pairs of dentures more frequently.

To learn more about your tooth replacement options, contact Dallas Oral Surgery Associates to schedule a consultation today.

Are you suffering with failing teeth? Have you lost some or all of your teeth? If so, implant supported dentures are a viable option for improving your oral function and overall health. Utilizing dental implants with the All-on-4 method, our oral surgeon can restore an entire smile.

Why Teeth Fail

Although teeth can last a lifetime, certain oral conditions and lifestyle factors contribute to tooth loss. The primary cause of tooth loss is gum disease, a condition that up to 80% of the adult population in the U.S. will develop. When gum disease advances, tartar accumulates below the gum line and along the roots of teeth. This causes the gums to recede or pull away from teeth. This coupled with the tartar buildup along the roots causes teeth to become loose. Over time, loose teeth will eventually die or fall out. Teeth may also fail from damage caused by decay or injury. For example, some patients with brittle and worn down teeth due to bruxism (the habitual action of grinding or clenching teeth) may require extractions.  

How Implant Supported Dentures Restore Oral Health

Losing teeth does more than just affect a patient’s appearance. Patients who have lost teeth often suffer from malnutrition due to the loss of oral function, which limits their dietary choices. Losing teeth also causes bone atrophy as well. To help protect the structures of the mouth—especially bone—implant supported dentures improve oral function and support the health of jawbones.

The All-on-4 method consists of placing strategically located dental implants into the jaw to support an arch of teeth. Dental implants are small cylinders made of titanium that look like a screw. They are embedded into the jaw to support prosthetic teeth. Unlike dentures, which rest on the gums, they provide more support and durability so patients can eat and speak with confidence and ease.

To learn more about the benefits of implant supported dentures, we invite you to schedule a consultation with our oral surgeons.

Many denture wearers have an unfortunate story of a time when their appliances unexpectedly came loose, causing a great deal of embarrassment.

Patients who feel that their conventional dentures are not secure enough can explore dental implants as an upgrade to their appliance. Implant supported dentures can help patients avoid an untimely slip-up and gain many more benefits beyond that.

When an oral surgeon places dental implants in the jaw, the surrounding bone forms a bond with those implants, creating a stronger attachment than any dental adhesive can possibly achieve.

As such, implant supported dentures will always stay in place, giving patients peace of mind when speaking or eating.

While we’re on the subject of eating, implant supported dentures are also more effective at chewing because of their physical link to the jaw. If you thought that getting dentures meant giving up many of your favorite foods, implant supported dentures can help you to continue to enjoy those meals.

Long-term stability is another advantage of implant supported dentures. The implants replace the structure of the absent roots of the teeth. In this way, they help to anchor the jawbone, which erodes when there is no available structure to hold it in place.

That is why the jaw changes shape and conventional dentures lose their fit over time. This effect is reduced in dental implant patients, so implant supported dentures remain more secure.

Patients who would like to get implant supported dentures should be evaluated by an oral surgeon, especially those who have worn dentures for a number of years. Bone loss can present an obstacle to dental implant placement, as insufficient bone material at the implant site can lead to premature dental implant failure. However, there are a number of techniques and procedures that an oral surgeon can use to place dental implants in patients who have experienced some bone loss.

If you have been dissatisfied with your conventional dentures, consider upgrading to dental implants. Talk to our oral surgeons, Drs. Sherry and Wallace, to learn whether this treatment is possible in your case.

Losing permanent teeth is a difficult experience for many patients. Those without teeth have pronounced difficulties with basic oral functions such as eating and speaking. Furthermore, tooth loss negatively affects oral health beyond the function and appearance of missing teeth. Edentulous patients ultimately lose bone mass and gum tissue, too. For these reasons, replacing missing teeth is essential to maintaining oral function and preserving bone mass and gum tissue. With modern techniques and advanced technology, patients have more options than ever before for replacing teeth including utilizing dental implants to support dentures.

The Benefits of Implant Supported Dentures

Implant supported dentures offer many benefits to edentulous patients when compared to traditional prosthetics. Traditional dentures rest on and over the gum line where the arched shape of the jawbone assists in their support. However, dentures need to be replaced and relined over time because patients will begin to develop bone loss and the gums will recede. When patients lose bone, dentures will not fit properly and will begin to slip through the mouth.

Fortunately, there is a remedy for this problematic issue; implant supported dentures firmly lock dentures in place while also preventing the loss of bone mass in the future. A dental implant is a surgically embedded rod made from titanium. Acting as a tooth’s roots, bone will naturally fuse around the implant. Because implant supported dentures are anchored by dental implants, patients enjoy eating their favorite foods with ease and do not have to worry about embarrassing denture movement.

The All-on-4 Method

One of the most popular ways to anchor dentures with implants is through the patented All-on-4 method. Using four, tactically placed implants that support a full arch of prosthetic teeth, this method offers peace of mind and unprecedented durability when compared to traditional prosthetics. By using this method, our oral surgeon can attach your natural looking prosthetic teeth to implants in one procedure.

To learn more about implant supported dentures, contact either of our convenient Dallas Oral Surgery Associates locations to reserve a consultation with our oral surgeons.