This is an extreme close up view of our completed
over denture implant case. To see what our patient Claudette
has to say hold pointer over image. |
Some questions for you to consider:
- What are the consequences of missing teeth? Collapse and loss of jaw
bone. Reduced attractiveness and confidence in your smile. Loose fitting
or poor fitting dentures. There is the embarrassment of slipping dentures
along with tenderness, pain, numbness of the mouth, or speech impairment.
Patients develop jowls or witch's point or prognathic jaws over time.
There is a loss of muscle tone and loss of proprioception, which means
losing the feel of teeth.
- The tongue enlarges, there is poor chewing ability, and as the jaw
atrophies. The mandible is subject to fracture. Patients with dentures
statistically have poorer diets than people with teeth, they also take
more medications, and finally they experience a shorter life expectancy.
- What particular problems are you experiencing with dentures?
- In the past, people put up with dentures because there were no other
options, people did not live as long, and the standard of living was
lower than today.
- Think about what it would be like if you were able to have your teeth
back. What would it enable you to feel or do that you cannot do now?
- The benefits of dental implants can be more confident and attractive
smiles, improved psychological health because patients feel the dental
implant is part of them. Patients experience improved speech, increased
stability, freedom from embarrassment, pain or discomfort. Patients
can eat better and live a healthier lifestyle.
With our ever increasing life
expectancy conventional dentures and bridge
work does not keep up with our body's needs. Implants are not perfection
but they do match our needs better than dentures. Dentures were okay when
we did not live as long. And today we expect to have a better quality of
life than the previous generation.
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