When patients come to us with multiple missing teeth, they often worry that the costs of having dental implants will be prohibitive, usually because they imagine they’ll need an implant for every missing tooth. Although it is possible to place an implant in every gap, the costs of this complete solution can mount up. Also, if you’ve lost all of your teeth over a long period of time, you may have areas of more extensive bone loss within your jaw that would make it inadvisable to place an implant or may mean that you need a bone graft before implants can be fitted.

These days, there are several solutions we can offer using dental implants to replace multiple missing teeth that are more affordable and provide a middle ground between no implants and a full mouth of implants. If you currently wear a full set of dentures, a more cautious and affordable solution might be to place four to six dental implants on your upper or lower jaw, and fit implant-retained dentures to them. With this approach, we are able to anchor your dentures in one place so that you can have complete confidence that they won’t move when you eat, laugh or talk.

Implant-retained denture wearers are often able to eat a wider range of food with confidence, plus – without the need for a plate over the roof of your mouth – you will be able to enjoy the flavours of what you do eat. If you have a smaller gap to fill, another option is to place dental implants on either side of the gap and place a dental bridge on these implants. A significant benefit of this approach is that we don’t have to damage the surrounding natural teeth to act as a base for the bridge.

There are many reasons to fill the gaps left by missing teeth. Your smile will look more attractive but, also, your teeth help to support your facial structure and are important in terms of eating, communication and speech. Dental implants can help to prevent bone loss and are strong; with the right care, they also have the potential to last for the rest of your life, which can make them more cost effective in the long-term than some other dental restorations – a fact that often surprises people.

If you would like to know more about dental implants in York at Blossom Dental Care & Implant Studio, please book a consultation by calling  01904 653356.