Which is Better for Your Mouth, Implants or Dentures?

dentures vs dental implants

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Statistics provided by the American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons show that roughly 70 percent of American adults between the age of 35 and 44 have at least one tooth missing due to tooth decay, an accident, dental fractures or gum disease.

With such a high percentage of our population in need of replacement tooth options one would expect some pretty decent replacement solutions. The good news is that there is no need to go through life missing a tooth because there are plenty of restorative options available. Among the two best and two most common, are dental implants and dentures.


Dentures are essentially false teeth. The quality of dentures has much improved over the years, but they are still not an ideal replacement option for everyone. This is true for many reasons, for instance, if the denture is not secured properly with a denture adhesive, then the denture itself might slip out of place while speaking or eating. Not only is this rather embarrassing, but it can also be harmful to the existing teeth. If a partial denture is not fitted properly it can easily promote decay and infection. This in and of itself increases the odds of having to place fillings in the adjoining, or abutment, teeth.

Overall, dentures are the best solution for those individuals whose jaw or gums are unhealthy or weak.

Dental Implants

Conversely, if you have one or two teeth missing and your jaw and gums are healthy, you will likely benefit more from dental implants. Dental implants are a replacement option for patients missing teeth that wish to have their solution implanted directly into the jawbone. Dental implant surgery offers a far more natural looking and functioning tooth replacement option for patients looking to restore the natural brilliance of their smile.

Not only do dental implants appear to be more natural to the eye, as well as function more naturally for the patient, they also offer a nearly permanent solution for the patient. Individuals who practice proper oral hygiene can expect that their dental implants will last 20 years or more.

Dental implants are most popular for those individuals missing one or two teeth, but can also be a solution for patients who have more than two teeth missing and are looking for a more natural alternative to dentures. That said, as long as your jaw and gums are healthy, dental implants may offer the best replacement option for you.

What Happens If Your Dentures Don’t Fit Right?


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Why Do My Dentures Not Fit Right?




Unhappy With Your Dentures? You Have Other Options.

Many people—especially those accustomed to using their natural teeth—dislike the way their dentures feel and look. In years past, people who lost their teeth had few options besides either getting dentures or just doing without. Fortunately, strides in technology have allowed the development of some alternatives to dentures.

What are dentures, anyway?

A common misconception is that dentures replace your teeth. This is actually untrue: dentures are used when you don’t have any teeth. They are essentially false teeth affixed to a plastic plate that fits over the gums. They can be awkward to wear and, depending on how they are built, they can interfere with your ability to enjoy food.

Alternatives to dentures

One alternative to traditional dentures is dentures that snap into place over the gum. This allows the removal of the large plastic “plate” that is traditionally associated with dentures, restoring your ability to taste and speak as you normally would. This can be done by using a few dental implants to act as anchors for the dentures and then affixing the dentures to the implants.

If you want to have more realistic-looking and feeling teeth, you have the option of getting implants that will look, feel, and operate like real teeth. This procedure is a little bit more intensive and does take several visits to accomplish, but the end result is well worth it.

When getting implants, your dentist will first install several metal rods into your gums. He or she will affix temporary teeth to these rods to allow you to eat while the final product is prepared. Later on, your dentist will remove the temporary teeth and install a bridge onto the implanted rods. This bridge will look, feel, and function like a normal set of teeth. Unlike dentures, it does not need to be removed each evening.

The process of getting a full bridge can take 2-3 visits to be completed. While it is more costly than a traditional set of dentures, and installation takes more time, the end result is clearly superior and is virtually indistinguishable from real teeth.

How Dentures Can Help Save Your Gums From Diseases

Your gum health is just as important as caring for your teeth. Often, people brush their teeth without any forethought to their gums other than a quick rinse. Neglecting to floss between teeth can cause food to be trapped under the gum line. Over time, this can cause gum disease and if gone untreated you might lose some teeth. Even though information is available on this particular subject most people may not think about it until it is too late. Different factors aids in the receding gum lines such as, smoking and not flossing. Habits like these can contribute to poor oral hygiene. With low maintenance on your gum line, transforming into gum disease, there are several ways to improve your gum care. Eating a balance diet, maintaining a healthy oral routine, and routine dentist’s visits. If a person is doing all of those things, then they can possibly save or maintain their natural teeth.

A Denture Plug

What are dentures? Well, dentures are removable teeth that can replace your teeth in order for you to eat. When all of the natural teeth are missing it can cause the face to have a sunken in look. But not only that, the loss of teeth slightly impairs your ability to speak. Things that people don’t take into consideration or they take for granted. So having healthy teeth are very important. Unfortunately, not everybody has practiced good oral hygiene. The consequences of unhealthy habits has led to the possibility of wearing dentures or implants. Dentures overlay on the gums and fit comfortably with minimal to low soreness or pain. Under the circumstances of a patient losing all of their teeth the gum disease is essentially no more. The probability of you having gum disease after all of your teeth have been extracted is on a low scale. Although, there are no guarantees when it comes to your health.

Based on that logic dentures can save your gums from disease. But just because they can save gums from diseases doesn’t negate the fact that they don’t have to be properly taken care of or cleaned. If the dentures are not cared for accordingly they can cause bacteria to occur. Regardless if you have dentures or not, gums and teeth are highly susceptible to harm if you are not issuing good oral judgement. So does dentures save gums for diseases or not? It is up to each adult individual to take responsibility for their actions when it comes to their hygiene. In the era of information anyone can research or talk to a dentist that can guide them in their oral health. After receiving the information people need to keep in mind that each person’s mouth is different.

Dentures vs. Implants – Which is the Best Option for You

No one wants to lose any of their natural teeth. Unfortunately, almost everyone will lose at least one tooth during their lifetime. Many will end up losing all of their teeth as they get older. The good news is that a person does not have to gum their food when they lose some of their teeth. There are options for replacing the teeth that have been lost to damage, disease or for some other reason. The two most common methods being used are dentures and dental implants. In order to decide which to get, it is best to look at what they offer and the downsides of each option.

What are they?

Dentures are false teeth that are not a permanent fixture in the mouth. They are attached in some mechanical way to the gums or to other teeth and they have to be removed to clean. Dentures can replace all of the teeth in the mouth, they can be used to replace just the bottom teeth or just the top teeth, or they replace some of the teeth in the mouth. Full dentures are used to replace the full sets and partial dentures or bridges are used to replace single teeth that are missing.

Dental implants are a permanent replacement for the tooth. The tooth that is used in the implant is a false tooth. It is connected to the gums by a metal implant that has been surgically placed into the gum. These teeth do not have to be removed and can be cared for in the same way as natural teeth.

Pros and Cons

There are good things and bad things about both dental implants and dentures. Comparing these may be the best way to make a decision about what to get.

Permanent vs Removable – Dentures are typically secured in place with some type of adhesive. They can become loose and can move around while they are being used. This can make eating more difficult or can cause embarrassing situations. Partial dentures can also cause infection and decay in the surrounding teeth if they are not fitted and held in place properly. Dental implants are permanent teeth that look and function like natural teeth.

Surgical vs Non-surgical – Getting dental implants is a surgical procedure. The implants are put into place in the gum by drilling into the bone structure. There is a healing period that can last 6 weeks or more. All surgical procedures have complications that can occur, including infection. Dentures are a non-surgical procedure that carries less risk.

Lifespan – Dentures will typically have to be replaced every 10 years if they are properly maintained. The dental implant can last a lifetime although the false tooth that is attached will last between 10 to 15 years.

Cost – The biggest deciding factor for most is the cost. A full set of dentures will cost between $500 to $3,000 dollars. Dental implants can cost $1,000 to $3,000 per tooth and a full replacement can cost $30,000 or more.