Implants vs. Dentures

Implants vs. Dentures

At Smilehaven Dental Center, it’s our mission to give all of our patients in and around La Mesa and El Cajon, CA a smile that they can be proud of – no matter what their current dental condition may be. Even if you happen to have missing teeth, we’re more than capable of restoring your beautiful smile through a number of our effective holistic dental treatments. Two of these treatment options that we offer in our La Mesa, CA office are dental implants and dentures. We’d like to take the time to compare these two and list out some of their pros and cons.

Dental Implants

Dental implants are small titanium posts that are implanted into a patient’s jawbone in the spot where a tooth is missing. After a period of time where the implant has to properly fuse with the jawbone, the cosmetic dentist will attach a crown to the top of it, giving off the look of a natural tooth.

Pros

• Dental implants will look, feel, and function just the same as your other natural teeth.
• With their excellent look, they may even give you more confidence.
• Dental implants give you the best chewing functionality and allow you to get a proper nutrition.
• They’re anchored in and you won’t have to worry about them sliding around like dentures can.
• They’ll act as a support for the rest of your teeth and keep them from shifting into the space left by the missing tooth.
• Implants just require the same cleaning and maintenance as the rest of your teeth.
• When a dental implant is taken care of properly, it can last a lifetime.

Cons

• Surgery is required to have dental implants placed.
• A cosmetic dentist will typically take about three-to-six months to complete the dental implant procedure.
• Dental implants are more expensive than other tooth-replacement options.

Dentures

Dentures are prosthetic devices that are constructed to be used as replacements for teeth. Dentures are placed inside the mouth and often supported by both the surrounding hard and soft tissues of the oral cavity. Sometimes, an adhesive will be needed to keep the dentures in place as well.

Pros

• The creation and placement of dentures is a simple process and it won’t require any surgery.
• If you lose any more teeth in the future, the dentures can just be modified to add extra ones.
• Dentures provide a relatively inexpensive option for replacing teeth.
• It’s easy and inexpensive to maintain them as well.

Cons

• Dentures don’t appear as natural as dental implants.
• Dentures can have a tendency to slip around inside your mouth, which will make it more difficult to eat properly and get a good nutrition.
• Some foods may not even be able to be eaten at all.
• Your dentures will need to be cleaned regularly.

Contact Your La Mesa and El Cajon, CA Cosmetic Dentist Today!

Whichever one you choose is completely up to you and you can rest assured that we provide high-quality dentistry for both options. If you have any further questions about either our dental implants or our dentures, please don’t hesitate to contact us. If you’d like to schedule an appointment with your La Mesa, CA cosmetic dentist, we encourage you to give us a call at (619) 464-2801. We hope to hear from you soon!