Can I Still Get Dental Implants if I Wear Dentures?

Are you interested in dental implants in Gilbert, AZ? If you have one or multiple missing teeth, dental implants may be a viable solution. Most people who have lost teeth in the past—before dental implants were available—have dentures. If you’re someone who wears dentures, you may be wondering if it’s possible to make the switch.

How Dentures Work

Dentures are removable oral prosthetics that restore function to the mouth. For a person without a certain number of teeth, it may be difficult to chew food properly or to speak well. But dentures also perform an added function, which is to prevent bone loss. Bone loss occurs under a variety of circumstances, including when there isn’t sufficient pressure on the bone from opposing teeth. So when you wear dentures, you can apply that pressure when you bring your two sets of teeth together.

What’s Needed For Dental Implants

Dental implants are made up of three parts. The implant piece is surgically placed in the jaw bone, where it must stay in order to support the faux tooth that’s visible above the gum line. Without adequate bone, the implant may fail. Sometimes, a person has such bone loss that bone grafting is needed before dental implants are viable. However, if a person is a denture-wearer, there’s a higher possibility that the bone has been saved from bone loss. In that way, your bone mass may be sufficient to support the dental implant process.

Of course, the only way to know for sure if you can get dental implants after wearing dentures for a time is to consult with your dentist in Gilbert, AZ. Contact us to learn more about the dental implant process and to find out if you might be a good candidate.