Dentists offer two tooth-replacement options to people who are missing several or all of their teeth: dentures and dental implants. Although both options create the appearance of a full smile and help with eating and speaking, there are several reasons why dental implants are the best option. Here are four reasons to choose dental implants over dentures.

1. More Secure Fit

Many denture users struggle with their dentures moving around in their mouths when they chew, speak, laugh or sneeze. Dental implants do not present this problem. Each dental implant crown is mounted on a metal post that connects down into the jaw, creating a secure foundation. You can rely on your dental implants to stay in place when biting into a crunchy apple, chewing a sticky toffee or laughing uncontrollably with your friends.

2. Easier Cleaning

Cleaning dental implants feels just like caring for natural teeth. All you need to do is brush your implants morning and evening with a soft toothbrush and toothpaste and floss around the implants to remove any leftover traces of plaque or food. In contrast, caring for dentures feels much less natural as you have to remove them from your mouth and place them in liquid overnight.

3. Better Alignment

If you still have some of your original teeth, dental implants help to preserve their natural straight alignment. When there are gaps in your smile, teeth naturally shift to fill them, which can result in your remaining teeth becoming twisty or wonky. Dental implants, with their supports rooted firmly into the jaw, provide a barrier to the movement of teeth, helping to keep your smile straight. Dentures provide a much lower level of resistance to natural teeth slipping out of alignment.

4. Healthier Jaw Bone

Loss of bone density in the jaw is a common side effect of tooth loss, particularly in older people. When you have a full set of natural teeth, chewing forces transmit down through the root of each tooth into the gums and jaw bone, stimulating the development of new bone cells. Dental implants, with their titanium supports reaching deep into the jaw, simulate this natural process, leading to better jaw bone health.

Dentures are not able to provide the same level of stimulation to the jaw bone, which can lead to bone loss. Over time, this loss of bone density can lead to a change in the shape of the jaw, leading to dentures fitting less well and therefore needing to be adjusted and replaced.