Experiencing total tooth loss? It’s actually more common than you may think! For adults 65 and older, the prevalence of complete tooth loss was 12.9%, and that prevalence increases with age. So, what can you do about this common problem? While there are many ways to restore your smile, not all of them are as effective as others. For example, traditional dentures replace teeth, but they often loosen over time, creating various problems for denture wearers. At East Longmeadow Family Dental Center, Dr. Zirakian encourages you to consider mini dental implants as the superior tooth replacement method! These titanium posts may be small, but they are incredibly effective and strong, creating a stable foundation for your prosthetic. Using mini implants for your dentures, we can stabilize your smile and help maintain your oral health!
Understanding the Instability of Traditional Dentures
Initially, your traditional dentures likely fit well. Using an impression of your gums and bone as a model, lab technicians craft these dentures to align with every contour of your mouth perfectly. Unfortunately, without your natural teeth, the shape of your jawbone shifts over time!
Natural teeth have important tooth roots that lie below the gum line, anchoring your teeth in place. When you chew, these roots press down into your jawbone, providing the necessary stimulation to keep it healthy and full. When you lose your natural teeth, you lose this stimulation, which results in bone resorption—or the loss of mass and volume. As your jaw shrinks and your denture remains the same, your prosthetic becomes loose in your mouth!
Loose dentures have many unfortunate consequences, such as:
- Gum irritation: As your prosthetic slides around in your mouth, it rubs against the soft tissue of your gums. This causes inflammation and denture sores, which may make wearing your dentures painful.
- Challenges speaking: Loose dentures also move while you’re talking, which can create slurring, whistling, or clicking sounds while you speak.
- Difficulty chewing: To break down foods, you need a powerful bite. Loose dentures often affect the force of your bite, making it difficult to chew some foods. Unfortunately, this may lead to a change in diet, which can result in a lack of essential nutrients.
Fortunately, dental implants secure dentures, providing a comfortable and effective way to replace missing teeth.
Why We Use Mini Implants for Dentures
While East Longmeadow Family Dental Center does offer conventional dental implants, Dr. Zirakian often prefers to use mini implants when possible. These implants provide numerous benefits for patients like you, securing your dentures in place with much less hassle!
Mini dental implants are small titanium posts, less than 3 millimeters in width. Due to their smaller size, patients who are ineligible for traditional dental implants—likely due to bone resorption—are often still eligible for mini implants! Their narrow diameter allows Dr. Zirakian to use a minimally invasive procedure, which requires less bone structure and preserves the tissues surrounding the implant.
After making a small pilot hole in your gums and jawbone, he gently screws the implant in place. Because these implants have a sleek one-piece design, Dr. Zirakian places them in a single appointment!
Not only does this process facilitate faster healing than a traditional implant, but it also allows Dr. Zirakian to place a temporary restoration immediately. Without waiting 4-5 months for traditional implants to stabilize, mini implants can support temporary restorations on the same day!
These incredible benefits make mini implants much less invasive, less expensive, and less time-consuming.
Trust Dr. Zirakian To Secure Your Smile With Mini Implants for Dentures
With mini implants for dentures, you no longer have to struggle with things like denture sores or difficulty eating. Instead, you can smile securely with mini implants in place! Dr. Zirakian has been serving patients in Springfield, MA, and the surrounding areas for over 35 years and is well-equipped to restore your smile with mini implants.
Book a free consultation today to learn if you are eligible for the mini implant procedure today!
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