There are many options available to perfect your smile, including various types of dentures and dental implants. However, finding the best fit for your unique oral health needs can be challenging.
Therefore, many patients who need a long-term solution often wrestle with the question of which is better – dentures or dental implants?
When it comes to dentures and dental implants (Bay Area and beyond), Pannu Dental Group is your best resource for a consultation and concrete information. Our expert dentists can help you make the smartest decision possible.
We find solutions based on our individual patients’ needs. As a client-focused dental group with decades of expertise in dentures and dental implants (in San Jose and other locations), we can help you create a brilliant smile while having a positive experience in the dentist’s chair.
In the meantime, if you are weighing your options when it comes to dental implants versus dentures, here’s a primer on what you need to know.
What Are Dental Implants?
Dental implants are medical devices that are surgically implanted into the jaw to serve as artificial or fake teeth that look exactly like natural teeth. Dental implants help restore a patient’s ability to chew and enhance their aesthetic appearance. Also, they are often recommended when a patient permanently loses a tooth (or teeth) due to damage, injury, or disease.
Dental implants are generally inserted during a surgical procedure, and the top dental groups in the world use robotics and advanced technology to ensure a smooth, comfortable, and minimally invasive process from start to finish.
What Are the Pros of Dental Implants?
There are several benefits to dental implants over dentures, which include the following:
- Dental implants are durable and long-lasting – Dental implants are a permanent solution that can make your brilliant smile last a lifetime. Once the procedure is complete, patients will have a permanent fix that requires no future replacement or follow-up work.
- Dental implants look and behave like natural teeth – Dental implants restore full chewing power, and many patients can’t tell the difference between their natural teeth and implants after the procedure. With dental implants it’s easy to chew, floss, brush, and address all oral health needs, just like natural teeth.
- Dental implants do not require daily removal and cleaning like dentures – There’s little to no maintenance with dental implants, outside of regular oral hygiene habits like brushing and flossing.
- Dental implants can prevent facial sagging and premature aging – In addition, dental implants can help protect your natural teeth from other future health issues, like gum disease.
What Are the Potential Cons of Dental Implants?
- Dental implants have a higher up-front cost than dentures, although, in the long-term, patients will likely save money over the years.
- Dental implants do require minor oral surgery and time to heal. However, the procedure is minimally invasive if you work with the best and most experienced dental group in your area.
- Dental implants may not be a good fit for everyone, especially if your underlying bone density is low.
- Dental implants can take 3-6 months to complete the treatment from start to finish (although the actual time in the dentist’s chair is minimal.)
What Are Dentures?
Dentures are removable oral appliances also used to replace missing or damaged teeth. They can be created and fitted for the upper jaw, lower jaw, or both. They are made of varying materials (like acrylic, resin, nylon, metal, and porcelain) to mimic your natural smile.
What Are the Pros of Dentures?
Some potential benefits of dentures include the following:
- Dentures can improve chewing function and can look like natural teeth.
- They have a lower up-front cost than dental implants.
- Dentures can be faster to get than dental implants, often within a few weeks.
- Dentures may or may not require oral surgery, depending on whether any teeth need to be removed before the dentures are created.
What Are the Potential Cons of Dentures?
- Dentures don’t last as long as dental implants. The best dentures tend to have a lifespan of about ten years, so replacements and more dentist visits will likely needed down the road.
- Dentures do not protect your gums and remaining teeth. Patients will likely still experience bone loss in the jaws over the long term.
- Dentures can be used for many foods, but not all. With dentures, patients must be a little careful with their food choices. When wearing dentures, the biting force is reduced significantly, so a patient’s diet is somewhat restricted.
- Dentures require daily removal and care. Cleaning dentures is required every day to prevent infection.
- Dentures feel less natural than dental implants. Dentures can irritate gums over time and don’t necessarily feel like part of a natural smile, as opposed to implants, which are permanently affixed.
Key Considerations for Choosing Between Dental Implants and Dentures
There are several factors that come into play when deciding which is better, dental implants or dentures.
Budget plays a role, as does bone health, lifestyle, and the desired result. For example, suppose you are concerned about dedicating time every day to remove and clean your dentures or are a little self-conscious about replacing your missing teeth. In that case, dental implants may be a better solution. If you have already sustained a significant loss of bone material due to injury, age, or gum disease, you may not be a good candidate for implants, and dentures would likely be a better fit.
Contact Pannu Dental Group Today to Discuss Your Options
We always ensure that we find the right solution for every individual patient to ensure long-term results that are best suited to our clients’ needs.
Uncover the best solution for your smile with our Bay Area dental specialists. With our knowledgeable and caring team, you can rest assured that your oral health is in the best hands possible and that you’ll find a treatment that will benefit you from the inside out for many decades to come.
Reach out to us today to schedule your consultation.
Dr. Dalvir S. Pannu has been a practicing dentist since 1995. In 1996 he opened his first dental practice in India, where he gained invaluable experience and acumen. In October of 1997 he was invited by the American Dental Association (ADA) to present the table clinic on Endodontics, at their annual session held in Washington, D.C. At this time he fell in love with the United States and became passionate about practicing dentistry in California. He became particularly enamored of the San Francisco Bay area, and soon took up residence and work here.