When your teeth are damaged the discomfort or pain can be agonizing. You can’t enjoy eating and you may feel self-conscious about the appearance of your smile. At Hospitality Dental, our dentists are dedicated to providing patients with several solutions to restore their damaged teeth. While there are several options to choose from based on how many teeth are damaged for the sake of this discussion  we’ll focus on the two options, dental implants and dentures. There are major differences between dental implants and dentures which are further explained below.

What are Dentures?

Dentures are an appliance designed to restore a full jaw of missing or damaged teeth. They are often recommended to patients with multiple failing teeth as they can cover the entire arch instead of replacing each tooth one by one. Modern dentures are designed to restore a patient’s smile by providing them with a beautiful and aesthetically appealing look while also giving them  back the function they once had with their natural teeth.

Dentures are often removable and use suction with a snug fit around the arch to stay in place. At first, dentures may feel strange to have and require some practice applying and removing, but many of our patients learn to live with their dentures in a few months and appreciate the instant restoration of their smiles.

Some other things to think about if you’re choosing dentures:

1. Quality of life can be comprised as certain foods are more difficult or impossible to eat and they need to take them out at night for cleaning.
2. Dentures need continual adjusting – when there is no root structure in place bone loss occurs in the jaw causing the dentures to become loose and painful.
3. Initial cost of dentures is lower than All-On-Four Dental implants, but in the long run the aesthetics, lifestyle and maintaining the integrity of the jaw bone and constant Dental visits – may have a higher dollar value.

What are Dental Implants?Dental implants are now the standard of care for a missing tooth or if you’re missing all your teeth there’s a dental implant solution that “roots” the dentures in place greatly improving the quality of life of a denture wearer.  The base of the implant that acts as the root of your new tooth is a titanium anchor that is attached and bonded to the jawbone. Once the anchor is fully bonded, a porcelain crown made to mimic your original tooth is attached to the base. Your new implant then looks, functions, and feels just like a natural tooth. A single dental implant or All-On-Four dental implants are solutions that can last a lifetime, improve your smile and maintain the health of your bone where the implant is placed.

Another great advantage of dental implants is they do not involve any modifications to healthy teeth.  Unlike bridges or dentures where the opposing teeth need to be extracted or compromised by placing the crowns in order to create the “bridge” over the missing tooth area.

If you would like to learn more about dental implants in Las Vegas, we encourage you to contact Hospitality Dental today for a consultation and appointment.