Louisiana Dental Center on Dentures – LIVING WELL Magazine

Not Your Grandparents’ Dentures

Jeffrey Snitzer, D.M.D., Periodontist, Louisiana Dental Center, Northshore LIVING WELL Magazine (SENIOR Magazine)

Remember sitting at Thanksgiving dinner and hearing the older folks talk about not being able to chew their turkey? The clacking sound you heard was not the silverware, but Uncle Joe’s ill-fitting dentures. Those days are gone! Today’s advancements in dental implants have made tooth replacement less complicated and more predictable.

Implant placement is done with numbing similar to that of a filling. In most cases, after a three-month healing period the implants are ready to support tooth replacements or serve as anchors for dentures.

Over time, lower dentures get loose; chewing and speaking become more difficult due to denture instability. Patients often complain of wobbly or rocking dentures and sore spots. Implants act as anchors onto which the dentures can be snapped. Usually, two implants are required for lower denture retention. In some cases, four mini implants can be placed with no need for an incision or stitches. With the use of the mini implants, patients leave the same day with their own denture fitted to the implants. The success rate for this procedure is around 95%.

Some people have difficulty wearing upper dentures because of a gagging effect. With implants, the denture no longer has to cover the roof of the mouth, allowing for more natural swallowing, speaking, and enhanced tasting abilities.

When a tooth is lost, a bridge can be placed, which requires grinding down the healthy adjacent anchor teeth on each side of the missing tooth. However, with an implant placed in the spot of the missing tooth, the adjacent teeth are spared unnecessary trauma. According to dental insurance companies, the success rate of bridges is about 87% over a five to 10 year period. Implant tooth replacement success rates over similar periods average 95%. And the cost of implant tooth replacement is similar.

Implants offer a predictable long-term solution to common dental problems of missing teeth and ill-fitting dentures. If you suffer from these conditions, call for a consultation today.

Dr. Snitzer has been practicing periodontics for over 25 years and is Louisiana Dental Center’s chief periodontist. He may be reached at 985-893-5522.