Today’s dentures are more realistic and comfortable than ever before. Still, traditional dentures leave a lot to be desired in terms of chewing power, longevity, and confidence in your smile. At Moreno & Young Dental, we can replace all of your missing teeth at the same time by pairing a denture with dental implants. With implant dentures in Bellingham, it will look and feel as though you have all of your original pearly whites back! To learn more about this incredibly lifelike treatment, give us a call today!
While regular dentures sit on top of the gums, implant dentures are secured onto a small number of dental implants. Dental implants are small titanium cylinders that are inserted into the jaw, where they act as roots for any number of replacement teeth, including a full denture.
Depending on your specific needs and preferences, your implant dentist in Bellingham may recommend one of the two types of implant dentures:
A fixed implant denture is typically secured onto four to six implants that are strategically placed throughout the jaw. It can only be removed by one of our dentists, so you can brush it like you would natural teeth.
We can also make an implant denture that you can remove yourself for easy cleaning. Removable implant dentures usually require a smaller number of implant posts (between two and five on average).
Getting implant dentures requires a longer, more involved process than that of a traditional denture, but the benefits of implant dentures make them worth waiting for! Plus, our team at Moreno & Young Dental can complete every step of the treatment right here in our office.
First, you’ll attend a consultation to find out whether you need any preliminary procedures first. Then, we numb your mouth before surgically placing the implant posts in your jaw. Over the next four to six months, your jawbone actually grows around the implants. When this process is complete, we secure attachments or abutments that will hold the denture in place. Lastly, your personalized denture is created and placed.
In general, most healthy adults with missing teeth make good candidates for implant dentures. As long as you’re committed to caring for your new teeth with good oral hygiene and your jawbone is strong enough to support dental implants in Bellingham, then you’re probably eligible.
Even if you aren’t sure whether you’re a good candidate, we still encourage you to schedule a consultation with us! We can examine your smile and recommend certain treatments, such as bone grafting, to increase the chances of successful implant dentures.
Although they take more money and time at first, implant dentures offer multiple benefits over traditional solutions, including:
You will never be without teeth. In most cases, we advocate a provisional denture followed by a final denture. The provisional is what you wear immediately after surgery and is worn during the entire healing period. Provisionals can either be removable or fixed. Where possible, fixed provisionals make your journey through this process infinitely more enjoyable. One of the benefits of any provisional (removable or fixed), beyond having the ability to chew and smile, is we get to ‘try out’ a look. We can try a shade and a shape and a character to your teeth that can either be replicated in the final or changed in the final.
A procedure like this involves a good amount of oral surgery. Most patients report less pain than one might expect. You will have a supply of pain killers. We all experience pain differently. We will make sure you are comfortable before and after surgery. The largest factor in how much pain you experience is related to the decision to have a fixed provisional or not. Fixed provisional = less pain. Once the pain from the initial surgery subsides, there is rarely an occasion that requires a procedure requiring more pain killers.
Standard healing is four months but might be longer (up to six months) based on observations during surgery. For most cases, the treatment time is the same as healing time. If complications arise, both treatment time and healing time may be lengthened.
While time off (usually 1-2 days) is certainly encouraged, you are free to resume whatever level of activity you feel comfortable with in the immediate aftermath of surgery. We will generate a letter to your employer if required.
It’s important to understand risks and complications with any complex surgical procedure. The two most common complications are, first, broken acrylic provisionals (because they don’t have a metal base – final dentures, on the other hand, are made with a metal base) and second, failed implants. When we encounter a failed implant, it may mean a longer time in the provisional phase while we allow the bone to heal and allow the new implant to heal. You will never be charged additionally for procedures stemming from a complication.
