Losing permanent adult teeth is never a pleasant experience. It can make you feel self-conscious about your smile and concerned that you may never enjoy a full grin again. Tooth loss can happen for a variety of reasons, such as tooth decay, gum disease or the extraction of a damaged tooth. Whatever the reason may be, you should not be ashamed of missing teeth. However, replacing them is not just important for aesthetic reasons. Missing teeth can also create further health problems such as bone loss or the shifting of your remaining teeth.
One of the best ways to replace missing teeth is getting overdentures. This highly effective yet little-known process can help you restore your smile’s appearance and functionality so that you can feel confident showing it off once again. Overdentures are essentially a combination of dental implants and dentures. Like implants, they are firmly affixed to your jaw; however, they can be removed much like traditional dentures. Below are three signs you may need overdentures.
- You are missing multiple teeth. One of the many advantages of overdentures is that they can replace multiple missing teeth, up to and including an entire row! Your dentist can replace a whole row of teeth using only a few fixtures – the points attached to your jaw onto which the removable replacement teeth are attached. Multiple missing teeth can not only affect how you feel about your appearance, but they also make everyday life more difficult. You deserve a full, healthy smile, and overdentures can help you achieve just that.
- You do not want traditional dentures. When people think of replacing missing teeth, they often think of traditional, removable, unaffixed dentures. However, this option has many disadvantages and modern technology has allowed for much more effective methods of tooth replacement. Since they are not affixed to the jaw, traditional dentures tend to slip around inside the mouth. This can create challenges with speaking or eating. It also allows the jaw to continue shifting, which means the dentures will need to be regularly measured and often refitted. Overdentures eliminate all of these issues with their firm and fixed nature.
- You are not a candidate for full fixed dental implants. Full fixed dental implants entail the permanent connection of replacement teeth to the attached fixtures. However, everyone is eligible for these full implants. This may be due to issues with the hard or soft tissues in the mouth. Even if you may be a candidate for full fixed dental implants, you may find that overdentures are a more affordable option that still accomplishes all of the same dental goals. Be sure to check with your dentist to learn more about the best option for you.
If any of these signs apply to you and you wish to learn more about overdentures, contact Redding Dental Arts. We are a full-service practice committed to providing evidence-based and patient-centered dental care. Give us a call at (530) 222–0920 or book an appointment online today!
