When talking about implants vs dentures, most people already know that cost is the main difference.

Not surprisingly, implants cost more than dentures. However, it’s important to remember that your options to deal with tooth loss are limited to only implants or only dentures. Plain removable dentures are the most affordable option. Fixed implant bridges or All-on-4 are the most expensive option. Why do people go with dentures when a higher tech option is available?

LIVING WITH DENTAL IMPLANTS VS DENTURES

Most people report a better quality of life with dental implants vs dentures. Why?

Dental implants are stable and strong. Teeth on dental implants don’t move around in the mouth. They don’t necessarily feel the same as natural teeth; however, they do feel anchored and they can bite into ANYTHING. Because implants are anchored into bone, they require proper care to prevent gum disease.

While dentures look and feel much better than broken or rotten teeth, they tend to get loose. Movement during eating, talking, laughing and smiling is one of the number one complaints people have about dentures. In addition, dentures don’t mean the end of oral hygiene. Proper care and yearly denture maintenance are key to keeping a denture comfortable and your mouth healthy.

This is the other MAJOR difference between the two options.

Because dentures aren’t anchored in place, they move when chewing. This limits your diet to softer foods, makes you take smaller bites and generally requires extra concentration to eat. Implants allow you to eat what you want, how you want. Anchored into the bone like teeth, implants let you chew everything from steak and beef jerky to carrots and toffee.

Implants cost more; however, they also let you eat more!

HOW DOES EACH OPTION IMPACT HOW YOU FEEL?

The answer to this questions depends on what people are coming from. Denture patients who have suffered with broken and missing teeth LOVE getting a fresh start with the brand new beautiful smile their dentures give them. Our denture patients tell us they feel more confident, happier and more comfortable than they did when they had toothaches and infections.

On the other hand, if patients have had dentures for a while and been frustrated by denture movement and sores, then they tend to be very excited about implants holding their teeth in place.

Our patients tell us that getting rid of nasty teeth and replacing them with dentures feels marvelous. However, relief and gratitude aren’t the only emotions people experience when they lose their teeth. Teeth form a surprisingly key part of our identity and perceived age. Losing them creates feelings of grief and loss. Losing them also gives some people the impression that they are nearing end of life. Our patients tell us that the fact that dentures are removable and come out each night makes them feel older and more vulnerable. Overall, losing teeth is emotionally complicated and includes both grief and relief.

Fixed teeth on implants do not have the same psychological effects because teeth aren’t completely lost. The implant teeth look and function like real teeth. Each person responds to losing their teeth for dentures differently, but when people take it especially hard, we recommend considering implants.

Because we are a cosmetic dental office, there is not a major cosmetic difference between our dentures and our implant teeth. Both are beautiful and lifelike. There is, however, a difference between the way that they age cosmetically over time as a result of bone loss. Here’s what we mean.

Implants minimize bone loss in the jaws. That means that face structure stays fairly similar over time. In other words, implants slow facial aging.