Losing one or more teeth can affect your appearance, self-esteem, and your ability to chew and speak. Overall, it’s a situation that can impact your quality of life and make you feel less confident about smiling.
Fortunately, modern dentistry offers restorative solutions. The two most popular options are dentures and dental implants, but which one is ideal for you?
The answer to this question is complex, which is why today we want to tell you about the features, differences, advantages, and disadvantages of each option to help you make the right decision for your oral health and lifestyle.
Dentures or removable prostheses are devices designed to replace both lost teeth and gums. They are a classic solution that allows you to quickly restore chewing function and the aesthetic appearance of your smile.
Additionally, dentures are not permanently fixed in the mouth, so you can remove them before going to sleep or to clean them properly after each meal.
Types of Dentures
There isn’t just one type of denture; several can be adapted to your needs:
Full Dentures: Full prostheses are used by patients who have lost all their teeth, either on the upper or lower arch. To keep them in place, a special adhesive is applied to the gums, preventing them from moving when the patient talks or eats.
Partial Dentures: Partial prostheses are used to replace two or three lost teeth. They are designed with a structure that rests on the patient’s teeth and gums with metal hooks to prevent them from moving. They are made from materials like acrylic, nylon, or thermoplastic resins to be durable and look very similar to natural teeth.
Immediate Dentures: These are placed on the same day a tooth is extracted, so the tooth loss isn’t visible while the gum tissue heals. Once the healing is complete, the immediate denture is replaced with a permanent one.
Advantages of Dentures
Dentures remain an excellent option for patients looking to restore both the aesthetics of their smile and chewing function. By choosing removable prosthetics, they can benefit from:
Cost: Removable prostheses are an affordable option for many patients, especially when compared to dental implants.
Non-invasive Procedure: The placement of dentures does not require surgery and can be done while the tissues heal after an extraction, making the process quicker with practically immediate recovery.
Ease of Cleaning: Dentures can be easily removed from the mouth to clean them with a special brush after each meal. This process is quick and simple, helping keep the prosthesis in good condition for longer.
Disadvantages of Dentures
While dentures are a very popular option, they aren’t without drawbacks. It’s important to be aware of these if you’re considering this option:
Comfort: Removable dentures are not as comfortable as dental implants because, initially, many patients feel like they have a foreign object in their mouth, which irritates them, moves, or makes it difficult to chew or speak clearly.
Bone Atrophy: Dentures are a solution mainly focused on aesthetics and chewing function, but over time, the jawbone is reabsorbed because it no longer has the tooth root to stimulate it. This can cause the denture to lose its fit, shift, and become uncomfortable.
Appearance: Although there are many materials for making dentures, sometimes they don’t look as natural, and many patients feel self-conscious when smiling.
Bad Breath: While dentures themselves don’t cause bad breath, poor hygiene can lead to plaque buildup between the gums and the prosthesis. As these residues break down, they release sulfur gases that cause an unpleasant odor.
The good news is that all of these disadvantages can be prevented by seeing specialists, attending follow-up consultations, and regular cleaning.
Exploring Dental Implants
Unlike removable prosthetics, dental implants are a fixed and permanent solution to replace lost teeth. A dental implant is an artificial root made of implant-grade titanium, which meets rigorous standards of quality and biocompatibility.
This implant is surgically integrated into the jawbone to promote osseointegration. It then serves as a solid base for placing a crown, bridge, or full denture. Today, implants are the most effective alternative in both appearance and functionality.
Expert Advice
While dental implants can be an excellent solution in many cases, they are not always the only – or the best – option. Full-mouth extractions and replacing every tooth with implants are not necessarily the answer for everyone. Implants, like natural teeth, can also fail, especially in patients with risk factors such as a history of smoking or certain health conditions.
Research consistently shows that people who smoke face a noticeably higher risk of implant complications and long-term failure compared to non-smokers. This is one of the reasons experts often emphasize that implants aren’t a “set and forget” treatment — they require healthy gums, good hygiene, and regular follow-ups to stay successful.
That’s why our recommendation is to preserve your natural teeth for as long as possible through proper care, early treatment, and ongoing professional monitoring. Whenever it’s feasible, maintaining your own teeth remains the healthiest and most predictable choice.
There are different types of dental implants that adapt to the needs of patients:
Endosteal Implants: These are the most common implants. They come in the shape of a screw, cylinder, or plate and are placed directly into the jawbone. The ideal candidate is a patient with good bone density to allow osseointegration and later placement of a crown.
Subperiosteal Implants: These are post-shaped implants placed beneath the gum, right on the bone of the jaw. They are used when there isn’t enough bone height, as they allow the attachment of a crown to recover aesthetics.
Pterygoid Implants: When the patient lacks sufficient bone in the back of the upper jaw, dense bone structures called pterygoid processes are grafted.
Zygomatic Implants: These are an efficient solution for individuals with severe maxillary atrophy, meaning they have lost a lot of bone in the upper jaw. They are between 30 and 52.5 mm in length and are anchored at the base of the cheekbone, a type of bone that doesn’t reabsorb.
All-on-4 or All-on-6 Implants: Patients who have lost more than one tooth may opt for one of the most advanced techniques to replace entire arches.
Factors to Consider in Your Decision
Choosing between dentures and dental implants is a personal decision based on several factors. There is no one-size-fits-all answer for all patients, and if this is your case, schedule an appointment with us. At Dr. Mark Shtern’s clinic, we evaluate each case individually to determine the best option for each patient.
The most important factors we consider are:
Age and Overall Health
Although age isn’t a barrier for most procedures, a patient’s health is a determining factor for dental implants. It’s important that the patient doesn’t have uncontrolled chronic diseases (such as diabetes) and isn’t a heavy smoker, as this can affect the success of the surgery and subsequent osseointegration.
For removable prostheses, general health has a lesser impact on the treatment’s success since no surgery is required. This makes them a viable option for patients with diseases that prevent surgery or who cannot undergo long recovery periods.
In both cases, the patient’s mouth must be healthy, free of infections or gum disease.
Bone Density Requirements
Bone density is one of the most important requirements for implants, as they need a solid base of bone in the jaw to anchor properly. If the patient has lost bone, a graft may be needed before the implant surgery.
On the other hand, placing removable prosthetics doesn’t require specific bone density, as they rest on the gum tissue.
Daily Habits and Oral Hygiene
No matter which option interests you more, it’s important to commit to maintaining good oral hygiene, as this will determine the long-term success of your treatment. With dentures, the cleaning and maintenance routine must be daily: remove them to clean after each meal, take them out before sleeping, and use a special solution and brush.
For implants, hygiene is very similar to that of natural teeth: brush after each meal, floss, and use mouthwash.
Alternative Solutions
Although implants and dentures are the most well-known options, there are other solutions that can restore a patient’s mouth after losing one or more teeth:
Dental Bridges
Bridges are an excellent option to replace one or more missing teeth. Unlike removable prostheses, bridges are fixed permanently, offering stability, though they can damage supporting teeth, causing cavities, weakness, or wear.
Temporary Partial Dentures
Also known as dental flippers, these are a type of removable partial denture typically made of acrylic. They are designed as a temporary and affordable solution to fill the space of one or two missing teeth, especially front ones.
Snap-In Dentures
Snap-in dentures are a removable option that can be adjusted and removed easily by pressure, without the need for adhesive.
Find the Best Solution for Your Dental Needs
As you’ve seen, both dentures and dental implants are great options to restore your smile, appearance, and quality of life. However, choosing one over the other should not be taken lightly.
At Dr. Mark Shtern’s clinic in Cancun, we understand that every smile is unique. That’s why we have a team of specialists ready to evaluate you personally, answer all your questions, and guide you on the path to the solution that best suits your needs.
Don’t let missing teeth affect your day-to-day life. Schedule an appointment with us and take the first step toward reclaiming your smile.
