DENTAL IMPLANTS VS. TRADITIONAL PROSTHESES – WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENCES

There are significant differences between dental implants and traditional prostheses

 Effective chewing ability is essential for proper digestion and requires good teeth. Not to mention, your smile is almost as important! As we all know, the health of a tooth is vulnerable; even a single missing tooth can affect your appearance and confidence, hindering your emotional level as well. So, no question, you have to have replaced your missing teeth. You have two different ways, either traditional prosthesis or dental implants. This writing will help you decide which one is the best for you.

Like every field in medicine requires a diagnosis of the patient’s condition; similarly, treatment in the dental implantation begins after a proper diagnosis. It is essential to thoroughly examine the jaw bone by panoramic X-ray before anything happens.

Traditional Prostheses are possible when some natural teeth remain in the upper or lower jaw. It is removable and attached to a pink or gum color plastic base. The denture base is a metal frame, and the dental technician attaches the dentures to it.

On the other hand, dental implants are to support one or more false teeth, or even a bridge is an artificial tooth root placed into the jaw. Generally, this is placed beneath the gums to hold a replacement tooth, bridge, or a complete denture. With one or more missing teeth or teeth due to periodontal disease, injury, or other reasons, dental implants have become a popular choice.

Let’s talk about the main differences between dentures fixed on dental implants and traditional prostheses by comparing their properties:

Aesthetics – In terms of aesthetics, dental implants based dentures look and feel like your own teeth and thus offer distinguished aesthetics compared to traditional prostheses.

Durability – A denture fixed on dental implants is from high-quality and unique titanium alloys, potent, stable, and highly durable. After a proper implantation process, dental implant-supported dentures remain functional for a lifetime. On the other hand, traditional prostheses have a shorter lifespan as they make it from less durable materials, and their attachment to the gums is far from perfect.

Impact on adjacent teeth - In the case of a dental implant-based denture, no adjacent teeth need to be grounded down to hold the new replacement teeth or tooth. In contrast, traditional prostheses need to be attached to the adjacent teeth on either side of the space left for support.

Function – Traditional prostheses are sliding and thus can make chewing and speaking difficult. On the other hand, an implantation-based denture is fixed or comes with a secure fit and does not slip or slide in the mouth. As they firmly support the false teeth, they sufficiently restore dental function in speech and chewing efficiency.

Cost - The cost of a dental implant-based denture varies based on your gums and jaw bone condition. They are significantly costlier than traditional prostheses. Generally speaking, implantation-based prostheses may require additional surgical techniques like bone grafting to ensure enough bone for the implant to be stable. An exception to the latter is immediate loading implants that are even usable in case of significant bone deficiency!

Consequence or Oral Hygiene - In traditional prostheses, supporting natural teeth on both sides must be trimmed slightly to create room for the prosthesis. Consequently, a healthy tooth structure must hold in place the denture. That is not the case with dentures fixed on dental implants. Therefore, they preserve the adjacent teeth and underlying jaw bone.

As we learned from the above article, there is a significant difference between dental implants and traditional prostheses in many ways. This knowledge can be helpful for those who have to choose between the two solutions. For the long-term, the success rate of dental implants is much higher than the traditional prosthesis.

Our Articles section contains several writings on dentures, implants, and implantation methods. If you have an opinion about this article, let us know about it in the Comment section below. If you have any questions, please get in touch with us.
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