“Are dentures better than implants?”
I am a 61 year old male. I want to know if dentures are better than implants?
4 Answers
Generally speaking For the patient who has NO teeth and who has no contraindications to implant placement, Implants are more desirable due their stability and permanence.
Dentures are NOT better than implants, but implant supported denture is better than regular. Chewing capacity drops with denture to about 40% for partial, 30% upper full denture and 15% to 5% for lower full denture. With implants, chewing is as high as 90%.
Hello,
Comparing dentures to implants is a pretty tall task since they are very different. However, there are certainly some good valid points that should be covered.
First, I don't think anyone would admit to dentures being better than implants even if that was the case. Most people do not readily talk about having dentures let alone the difficulties they had and have with them. You never hear someone say, "Oh I can't eat that, I am wearing a denture". No it is not like on the commercials where you can bite into an apple.
Secondly, there are different types of adjustments to either dentures or implants. Wearing dentures means you have to learn to chew differently in order to be effective. In order to keep the denture balanced and not fall out while eating it is recommended that chewing be done on both sides of the mouth at the same time. This is not the case with implants; however, they do require an adjustment period as well. People with implants need to adjust where their teeth meet.
Finally, maintenance of dentures and implants is important to consider. Dentures require daily maintenance of cleaning and need to be taken out nightly. Dentures are made out of acrylic and do wear after a couple years. When they wear they are vulnerable to breaking which would mean making a whole new set. Implants on the other hand require visits to the dentist every six months to clean and evaluate. Hope this helps.
My best to you!
William F. Scott IV, DMD
Comparing dentures to implants is a pretty tall task since they are very different. However, there are certainly some good valid points that should be covered.
First, I don't think anyone would admit to dentures being better than implants even if that was the case. Most people do not readily talk about having dentures let alone the difficulties they had and have with them. You never hear someone say, "Oh I can't eat that, I am wearing a denture". No it is not like on the commercials where you can bite into an apple.
Secondly, there are different types of adjustments to either dentures or implants. Wearing dentures means you have to learn to chew differently in order to be effective. In order to keep the denture balanced and not fall out while eating it is recommended that chewing be done on both sides of the mouth at the same time. This is not the case with implants; however, they do require an adjustment period as well. People with implants need to adjust where their teeth meet.
Finally, maintenance of dentures and implants is important to consider. Dentures require daily maintenance of cleaning and need to be taken out nightly. Dentures are made out of acrylic and do wear after a couple years. When they wear they are vulnerable to breaking which would mean making a whole new set. Implants on the other hand require visits to the dentist every six months to clean and evaluate. Hope this helps.
My best to you!
William F. Scott IV, DMD
Not at all
