Affordable Dentures in
Beaverton, Oregon

If you have lost a whole row of teeth, dentures have existed for years to get you smiling again. Dentures are made of high-quality acrylic to look and feel natural. However, traditional dentures do nothing for teeth roots, which are essential to your jaw structure and preventing bone loss. Modern advancements in dental implants have allowed for another denture option, that of fixed dentures.

Fixed Dentures

Unlike traditional dentures, fixed dentures do not leave your mouth once they have been placed. Fixed dentures rely on four to six precisely positioned dental implants to hold a row of teeth in place. Dental implants are titanium screws that are inserted under the gum. They are not visible after the implant has been set.

At Family Dental Care, we use endosteal implants, which come in two types: cylindrical (a screw with a titanium cylinder) and blade (like cylindrical, but with more connecting elements.) We will find the type of implant best suited to your needs.

Fixed dentures require minor surgery to place the implants. During your surgical procedure, your dentist will make several incisions and secure the implants. Depending on how many implants are needed, the procedure could last one to three hours.

Titanium dental implants have the unique ability to fuse with living bone. According to The American Academy of Implant Dentistry, this is a process called osseointegration. This means that, over time, your dental implants will fill your empty teeth roots and your fixed dentures will be a strong, working part of your jaw.

Traditional Dentures

A few advantages that traditional dentures have over fixed ones are cost and time. There is, of course, no surgical procedure or need for any local anesthetic. No recovery period required, either!

You will need to schedule four or five appoints over a period of three to six weeks. In this time, your dentist will look at your gums and mouth, talk with you about what to expect, and construct your dentures.

Getting dental implants will take a similar amount of appointments, but traditional dentures will not need any recovery time. You will simply need to check in with your dentist periodically to make sure the dentures are fitting and functioning properly.

Am I a Good Candidate for Fixed Dentures?

The first step to deciding if fixed dentures are right for you is to schedule an appointment. If you have preexisting physical or oral health conditions, you’ll have to have those issues treated prior to getting your implants. Therefore, scheduling a consultation will also give you a better idea of what needs to be done to prepare your mouth for dentures.

Pediatric patients require special precautions. Dental implants are not usually recommended for teens or young children because their faces and jaws are still developing. If your child has suffered from tooth loss, a place holder appliance is the preferred first step.