Dental Implants vs. Dentures

Unfortunately, it’s only natural over time for teeth to get chipped, become discolored, start decaying, or suffer some other type of damage. In more serious cases, teeth may even fall out or have to be removed, leading to a patient wondering if a great smile will ever be attainable again. Not to worry though! As your choice for a dentist in Cottonwood, AZ, near Sedona, AZ, we at Arizona Smile Designers offer a number of different options to replace a missing tooth. Two of our most popular dental treatments that we have are dental implants and dentures. We’d love to explain a little more about each and help you make your decision simpler if you have to replace a missing tooth.

Dental Implants

Dental implants are made from titanium and inserted into the jawbone in the spot where a tooth is missing. After the implant has fused to the jawbone, a crown is placed on top of it to simulate a natural tooth. Some of the pros and cons of dental implants include the following.

Pros

  • Dental implants look, feel, and perform just like natural teeth.
  • To keep them clean, they simply require the same maintenance as your other teeth.
  • You’ll still be able to eat all your favorite foods with dental implants.
  • Implants won’t affect your speech.
  • With proper care, a dental implant can last a lifetime.

Cons

  • Dental implants are a more expensive tooth-restoration option.
  • They also require surgery to have them placed.

Dentures

Dentures are removable prosthetic devices that are used as a replacement for teeth. Dentures are placed inside the mouth and supported by the surrounding hard and soft tissues of the oral cavity with the help of an adhesive in some cases as well. If you’re considering dentures, we’d like to share with you some of the pros and cons.

Pros

  • The process of creating and placing dentures is simple and doesn’t require surgery.
  • Dentures can be modified in the circumstance that a patient loses more teeth.
  • Dentures are less costly than implants.
  • Maintaining dentures is also very economical.

Cons

  • Dentures don’t always look as natural as dental implants.
  • Dentures can slip around in a patient’s mouth and make it more difficult to speak or eat.
  • There are foods that you won’t be able to eat with dentures.
  • Dentures have to be removed to be cleaned regularly.

Contact Your Sedona and Cottonwood Dentist Today!

In the end, the our dentists will work with you to come up with the appropriate treatment plan. We encourage you to weigh the pros and cons to determine which one will best fit your lifestyle. If you’re interested in dental implants, dentures, or any of our other dental treatments, we encourage you to give us a call at (928) 634-8610. Alternatively, you can fill out our online appointment request form. If you have any questions for us, please don’t hesitate to contact us. We look forward to hearing from you!