Choose Dental Implants Over Dentures To Preserve Your Appearance

If your natural teeth are in a state of bad decay, you are likely looking at options for replacement. The two most common options are the installation of either dentures or dental implants. While dentures are less expensive, dental implants provide a variety of benefits including the preservation of your appearance. Here's what you need to know.

Dental Implants Fuse with Your Jawbone

When a dentist removes what's left of your decaying natural teeth and installs dental implants, each implant is fused directly to your jawbone. Dentures, on the other hand, are not fused like this, which is why they can sometimes move around in your mouth and make you feel awkward while you are speaking or eating. By fusing with your jawbone, dental implants are essentially the closest you can get to feeling like you still have natural teeth.

Removing Teeth From Your Jawbone Can Cause Physical Changes

When you start removing multiple natural teeth, your remaining natural teeth will begin to shift in your mouth because your body is trying to compensate for the change. This can lead to an even more crooked smile over time.

If you decide to go all out and get all of your natural teeth removed and install dentures instead, you will then have a mouth with no teeth attached to the jawbone. Your body will then realize that the jawbone is no longer needed and it will begin to deteriorate. If you look closely at someone who has had dentures for a long time, you can sometimes see that their face looks a bit sunken around the jawbone area. 

Dental Implants Appear to Be the Real Thing

While the changes that can happen to your jawbone and face are reason enough to go with implants over dentures, here's something else to consider. Today's dental implants are advanced enough that they often look like natural teeth. You'll be able to eat and smile with confidence that no one will know about your implants unless you tell them. 

Dentures, on the other hand, are still likely to be spotted from a mile away, especially if they shift in your mouth while you are trying to eat or speak.

If you are currently choosing between dentures and dental implants, keep in mind that while dentures might save you a little money, the long-term consequences of going with dentures over implants can include changes to your physical appearance. Contact a dentist who offers dental implants services today for more information.