If you are thinking about implant dentures to help protect your bones from the kind of resorption that goes along with denture wear, take note: a new study shows that implant dentures can actually lead to more bone loss than traditional dentures.
This reminds us again that there’s no substitute for quality when it comes to dentures.
Comparing Implant Dentures to Conventional Dentures
The study is small, and the first of its kind, so we have to interpret the findings cautiously, but it seems to suggest something important about the nature of bone loss among people wearing implant dentures. This study used 20 subjects who were given implant dentures, compared to just 9 who were given traditional dentures.
Researchers tested the bite force in all patients and measured the amount of bone present using CT scans. Researchers also looked at the gum tissue as well, using both the CT scan and physical examination.
Researchers found that people with implant dentures could produce about twice the bite force as those with traditional dentures. That’s good news when it comes to chewing. It’s a lot easier to bite and chew with implant dentures. But it’s not all good news.
Unfortunately, when bite force increased, so did the amount of deformation of the gum tissue and damage to bone tissue. This led to more bone loss among patients with implant dentures than with traditional dentures.
Researchers caution that more force can lead to more bone loss if it’s not being balanced properly.
Implant Dentures That Balance Forces
We need to reiterate that this is just one study — and a pretty small one, at that — so we need to use caution when applying the results. But it does seem to stress something that makes sense. Even if you have implant dentures, you still need to get quality dentures that will balance your bite forces more evenly.
Neuromuscular dentures are designed using a sophisticated understanding of your bite system. They are designed to distribute bite forces evenly, reducing the presence of pinch points that can irritate gums and speed bone loss.
To learn more about the benefits of neuromuscular dentures in Columbia, SC, please call (803) 781-9090 for an appointment with a denture dentist at Smile Columbia Dentistry.
