Dental Implant or Partial Denture?

There are several effective teeth replacement options for restoring and enhancing your natural smile. Two of the most sought-after treatment options are dental implant and partial denture. They both offer unique benefits, although our patients usually ask us, “What’s better, dental implant or partial denture?” Here are some of the important things you need to know about dental implant vs partial denture.

Exploring the different benefits, pros, and cons can help you decide on a solution that is best for you. Of course, factors such as urgency and affordability will play into your final decision. Whichever teeth replacement option you choose, know that dentures and implants will help improve teeth functions.

What are Dental Implants?

A dental implant is essentially an artificial tooth root (implant post) that takes the place of a missing natural tooth. The implant looks like a titanium screw and is inserted into the gum or the jawbone, depending on if the endosteal or subperiosteal surgical procedure is used. Endosteal implant means the tooth root is surgically placed into the jawbone, as opposed to the subperiosteal implant that goes into the gum.

Once the gum heals, your periodontist can go ahead and place the connector rods, also called abutments, on top of the implant post. These rods help to keep the posts stable as well as function as support for the new porcelain crown, which are mounted at the end of the procedure. The average time to complete the process is 6 to 9 months. It all depends on things such as whether bone grafting is required to grow sufficient jawbone to hold the tooth root in place.

Bone grafting, itself, takes several months. Then the implant needs to go through the osseointegration stage. Simply put, it means the tooth root needs to fuse to the bone. After that, the gum has to heal before further work can be done. This lengthens the timeline of the procedure. However, a patient can choose to have the implant placed into the gum instead. In this case, the process ends in a shorter space of time. Needless to say, patients are usually excited when the time comes to mount the customized dental crowns. Seeing a complete smile is an instant confidence boost, to say the least.

[See: What Are Dental Implants]

Top Benefits of Dental Implants

Whether it is traditional dental implants or all-on-4 dental implants, the end result is typically the same. You’ll have your teeth and self-confidence back while enjoying these other benefits:

  • Implants are permanent replacements for one or more missing teeth.
  • You’ll be able to eat, chew, and speak properly
  • They also get rid of tongue thrusting as in the case of missing front teeth
  • The r