Dental Implants vs. Dentures
Northern Virginia, including Arlington, Tysons Corner, Alexandria, Fairfax, and McLean, Virginia
Dental implants are a functional and attractive way to replace missing teeth. In addition to aesthetic concerns, replacing missing teeth is important for your oral health. Missing teeth can cause jawbone collapse, tooth shifting and overall gum tissue loss. Two common ways to replace multiple missing teeth are dentures and dental implants
Advantages of Dental Implants
If you are missing multiple teeth, or even all of your teeth, dentures are not the only option for tooth replacement. McLean, Virginia dentists, Dr. Chong Lee and Dr. Joseph Oh can determine if you are a candidate for dental implants. As a solution to missing teeth, dental implants have several advantages compared to dentures, including:
- Implants are a long-term solution to missing teeth
- Implants increase durability and function of your mouth
- Implants make it easier to practice good oral hygiene
- Implants promote jawbone health
Because dental implants fuse to the surrounding bone, dental implants remain secured in place, making them a very durable alternative to replace missing teeth. Conversely, dentures have a tendency to slip and move around, which may be painful as well as cause disintegration of the boney ridge beneath the denture that provides a stabilizing foundation.
Dental implants have many benefits because of the way the implant interacts with jawbone. After the titanium screw is inserted, it fuses to your jawbone over the following several months. The result is a stable, secure foundation. Your jawbone health will be maintained with dental implants. Bone health is stimulated by the presence of tooth roots, and an implant mimics the presence of a natural tooth.
After the dental implant has successfully integrated with your bone, we will attach a porcelain crown to the implant. Compared to dentures, the configuration of artificial root and crown is easy to clean. Dentures have to be removed and cleaned, but you can brush and floss your dental implant just as you do with your other teeth.
Aesthetics of Dental Implants vs. Dentures
Not only do dental implants offer functional advantages to dentures, the aesthetics of your smile will be enhanced by dental implants. Dentures often have aesthetic disadvantages, including:
- Dentures often have the obvious appearance of being false.
- Dentures do not promote jawbone health, and oftentimes your facial appearance can change if your jawbone begins to deteriorate.
At Galleria Dental Aesthetics, we use all-porcelain tooth crowns to complete the dental implant restoration. There is no unsightly metal used in these crowns, and the color is matched to your natural teeth. Porcelain also has the same light reflecting qualities of tooth enamel, so your smile will look natural.
For dental implants in McLean, Virginia, please contact the experienced implant dentists at Galleria Dental Aesthetics to schedule a consultation.
