Cleveland Removable Partial Denture
vs Dental Implants

When you are missing several teeth, the most economical treatment option is a removable partial denture. An example is pictured at the right. There is a framework that clasps onto the teeth, and it is made of either metal or plastic. The replacement teeth are then attached to this framework, along with some simulated gum tissue.

Advantages of a removable partial denture:

• It is economical
• easy to make
• and it doesn't take long to complete treatment.

A removable partial denture

Disadvantages:

• It is uncomfortable to wear hardware in your mouth.
• It places unnatural stresses on the teeth it attaches to, and can lead to loss of those teeth.
• It traps food around the clasps which promotes decay and gum disease.
• It really should be removed and cleaned after every time you eat even the smallest snack, which is very inconvenient.
• The bone that supported the missing teeth, since it is no longer needed to support teeth, gets resorbed by the body. The loss of this bone makes it more and more difficult, as time goes on, to comfortably wear the partial. More and more stress has to be borne by the teeth, and there are increasing chances of jaw fracture or other complications.
• The removable partial moves during function, resulting in a loss of chewing efficiency.
• Chewing gum and certain foods stick to the appliance.

Dental implants, on the other hand, have none of these disadvantages. They are more expensive and more complicated to place, but they function just as your natural teeth. The presence of the implants inhibits bone resorption, and chewing efficiency is optimal.