If you’ve lived with dentures for any amount of time, you’re undoubtedly quite familiar with all of the perks and shortcomings of them. And if you’ve lived with them for a while now, it might seem like dentures have been long overdue for an upgrade. It turns out, they have. Dental implants can dramatically elevate conventional dentures by anchoring them firmly in place so that you can fully rely on your replacement teeth. Take a look at how dental implants can elevate your dentures, boost your confidence and strengthen your smile.
How Dental Implants Work
While conventional dentures rely on dental adhesives and metal frames for stability, implant-supported dentures leverage dental implants. To get a better idea of how dental implants elevate dentures, it can be helpful to take a closer look at dental implants.
Here’s an overview of how dental implants work:
- Implant post – this screw-shaped component is embedded in the jawbone, similar to how the roots of natural teeth root themselves in the jawbones.
- Abutment – this component connects to the top of the implant post and serves as a connector for the restoration.
- Restoration – in the case of implant-supported dentures, the restorations are the dentures. Other restorations include bridges, crowns, partial dentures and specialized dentures.
- Osseointegration – the implant post fuses with the jawbone over the course of a few months, usually four.
