This four-part article series discusses the problems, challenges and repeat expenses associated with denture wearing, some of them as serious and potentially fatal as malnutrition.
Removable dentures have long been the teeth replacement technology of choice for patients who have lost most or all of their original adult teeth; a state referred to as edentulism. However, just because dentures have been the most popular choice, does not mean they offer the best solution! With the ceaseless development of sophisticated dental implant technology and surgical protocols, specially trained and experienced Colorado Springs dentists are able to offer more and more edentulous and near-edentulous patients a brand new set of teeth that are fixed, non-removable and far more functional, durable and aesthetic than removable dentures.
Why Do People Still Opt for Removable Dentures?
The question then is: why do people still choose removable dentures? Unfortunately, most patients can’t see the benefits beyond the greater initial price tag for dental implants. Short and long term benefits aside, they would rather pay a few hundred dollars to have dentures placed than a few thousand to have dental implants placed. What these patients aren’t aware of is the fact that dentures come with their own hidden costs and repeat expenses that, in the long term, make them the costliest teeth replacement solution on the market! The worst part, however, is that these costs and expenses aren’t only financial in nature, but take a severe toll on quality of life and in values that are irreplaceable, such as your youthful smile aesthetics.
In this four-part article series, Colorado Springs dentists shall delve deep into the problems and challenges associated with denture wearing. At the same time, they will compare this archaic technology with newer methods of teeth replacement and explain how and why dental implants offer a far more sophisticated and comprehensive solution to rampant tooth loss. Let’s start with one of the biggest problems associated with denture wearing.
Removable Dentures and Jawbone Loss
Your teeth provide an indispensible service to the bone tissue in which they are anchored. Just like the muscles in your body require exercise to remain strong, so too does bone. The roots of your teeth are responsible for “exercising” the jaw and they do this by transmitting all the forces associating with biting, grinding and chewing directly into the underlying bone tissue. Removable full or partial dentures only replace the visible portion of missing teeth – the crowns – allowing the jaw to atrophy and waste away from disuse. Wearing dentures actually accelerates the rate of bone loss. What does this mean for the patient?
- Denture Refitting: As the shape of the jawbone changes, old dentures will fit less and less until a patient requires a new set of dentures to be fitted. This initially occurs once every few years, but accelerates in frequency the longer you wear dentures for. Add up the costs of denture refitting and in the long run you’ve got yourself a mighty expensive teeth replacement solution!
- A Loss of Youthful Appearance: The loss of bone volume in the jaw has a devastating effect upon one’s natural youthful facial contours. Instead of a strong and definite jawbone line, elderly denture wearers tend to have sagging skin around the oral cavity and a sunken and aged appearance. “Denture wearing is incredibly aging to one’s appearance,” explain dentists in Colorado Springs. “And once this hard tissue is lost, it’s incredibly costly, traumatic and painful to replace, if at all!”
Then there’s the fact that wearing dentures compromises the success of alternative treatment solutions, such as dental implants. But we’ll save that for Part 2 of this article series.
Stay Tuned for Part 2
To read more about what Colorado Springs dentists have to say about the real price of removable partial and full dentures, stay tuned for the second installment of this four-part article series.