This four-part article series provides advice for patients who need one or more of their teeth replaced and are in the process of considering their various options.

1. Welcome to the final installment of our four-part article series in which we speak
to an experienced Rutherford dental implants surgeon about getting new teeth.
We ended off Part 3 with a comparison between the traditional dental implant
and All-on-4® techniques used to provide patients with a brand new set of upper
and/or lower teeth. We’ve still got a couple of questions for our dental specialist,
so let’s get to those before wrapping things up.
We were talking about the dental implant techniques used to give patients a
brand new set of teeth and not just one new tooth. Can you explain to us where
dentures fit in to the picture?
“Well, removable dentures have been around for a long time. They’re a bulky
plastic set of teeth and gums that are designed to fit over a patient’s natural
gums, thereby making it look like they have teeth again. Dentures can help people
to eat, speak and smile, but only to a limited degree,” explains the Rutherford
dental implants surgeon. “It was only in the 1980’s that dental implants gained
popularity and then, with the innovation of the All-on-4®, that they became
regarded by many as the standard of care for patients who faced the need for a
new set of teeth.”

2. If dental implants are capable of providing a far more sophisticated solution to
tooth loss, then why do so many people still wear dentures?
“There are so many reasons… many
patients simply can’t afford anything
more than a one-size-fits-all set of
dentures. Others choose not to spend
the money, even if they can afford it,
because they focus only on the short-
term. Spending a couple thousand
dollars on dentures certainly seems
better than a several thousand dollars
on dental implants! If you’re getting
new teeth, removable dentures can
work out nicely initially, but with time
you will come to realize the real toll these devices take on your quality of life.”
Can you give us an idea of some of these challenges and disadvantages?
“I’m yet to come across a patient who wouldn’t change at least one thing about
their dentures… the problems typically experienced range from sore gums,
terrible ulcers and inflammation to gagging, taste impediment and bad breath,”
says the Rutherford dental implants surgeon. “Patients also gripe about having to
take their teeth out to clean them all the time and about the need to have ill-
fitting dentures replaced periodically.”
“Ironically, dentures can end up costing a fair bit in the long term. When you add
up the costs of anesthetic creams, overnight soaking solutions, adhesives and
refittings over the years, you get a price tag that rivals that of dental implants. If
you’re looking at getting new teeth, it really pays off in the long term to just have
dental implants placed: both financially and in terms of quality of life. They
function better, they feel more natural and they look great.”
And there you have it! The latest and greatest on getting new teeth, courtesy of
an experienced dental implant surgeon in Rutherford, New Jersey!