Dental Implants Chicago | Dental Care Center Chicago

For "dental cripples" who are bothered by missing teeth, dentures or bridges may sound like a favorable option. However, these devices don't look or feel like natural teeth and they can irritate the gums.

Healthy adjacent teeth also have to be destroyed to accommodate these restorative devices. What's more, loose or ill-fitting dentures may fall while you're talking or laughing, leading to embarrassing situations. They also have to be adjusted periodically since dentures won't prevent the jawbone from shrinking which normally happens when you lose teeth.

"Patients with dentures lose a great deal of chewing efficiency and a considerable amount of taste sensation. Full dentures need to be repaired and periodically checked for wear and tear. The plastic denture doesn't change, but as time goes by the tissues under the denture do change, and this leads to loosening of the dentures, sore spots, and potentially dangerous chronic irritations that may be a factor in oral cancer. The gums and jawbones, even without teeth, can develop cysts, tumors, and infections," said Drs. Marvin J. Schissel and John E. Dodes in "The Whole Tooth."

"Perhaps the most common cause of denture problems is unrealistic patient expectations. Patients should be taught exactly what to expect from a completed denture. They should be cautioned that the denture is not bolted into place but merely rests on the tissues; certain movements of the mouth will dislodge it," they added.

Fortunately, there's a better way to restore missing teeth: dental implants. Since they were developed over 50 years ago by Swedish scientist and orthopedic surgeon Professor Per-Ingvar Branemark, dental implants have helped close to million toothless people worldwide.

Unlike dentures that can last for only a few months or years, dental implants are made of titanium and last a lifetime. They are surgically implanted into the jawbone and left there for about six months for osseointegration to take place. This is the process wherein the implants fuse or attach to the bone. An abutment or small metal post is later attached to each implant serving as the foundation for new replacement teeth.