Unless you are a dentist yourself, or have had dentures or dental implants, you might be wondering what the difference is. For clarity, in this post we’ll briefly cover what both dentures and dental implants actually are.
Dentures
Dentures are also commonly referred to as “false teeth”. And that’s exactly what they are. False teeth is just a less flattering term. Generally made from acrylic, dentures are designed to be the best match for the patient’s natural teeth. The plate that holds the artificial teeth is either made from acrylic or metal.
The convenience of dentures is they can be easily removed for thorough cleaning before being returned to the mouth. They can either be full dentures (replacing all of the teeth), or partial dentures (replacing just some of the teeth).
In this day and age dentures are made to look very natural and are extremely comfortable to wear. In fact, the designs are so life-like that it’s almost impossible to tell if someone has dentures.
Dental Implants Explained
Dental implants are a little more involved. With implants the patient can replace just one rotten, diseased or missing tooth, or a whole range of teeth. It’s a more permanent option than dentures and one of the most natural methods of dental restoration.
How it works is this.
Generally made of titanium, a screw-like anchor is implanted in the bone where the diseased or missing tooth used to be. This implant integrates to the jawbone to be attached to the gum tissue, creating a stable base for artificial teeth, such as a dental crown, bridge or denture.
To put it simply, it’s like implanting a new (but artificial) tooth into your gum and bone to look and act like a real tooth. No adhesive is necessary in the procedure of dental implants.
Basically dental implants are made up of 3 components:
- Implant
- Post/Abutment
- Crown
Once all 3 procedures have been completed, the treatment is done. Don’t forget to keep your regular maintenance visits to ensure your restorations last as long as possible.
Further Information
Those are the differences between dentures and dental implants. If you would like further information, or feel you may require either dentures or dental implants, get in touch with the expert team at Advanced Dental Care Clinic on the Gold Coast.
