Dental Implants With Or Without Fake Gums

One of the questions that are most asked by people seeking surgery to get multiple teeth implants or All-on-4 dental implants is whether it’s better to go for just teeth on implants or is it better to have the implants sitting on fake gums.

The answer to this query related to dental implants is probably not as easy as one might think at first. Initially, most patients think that it’s preferable to have implants with fake teeth and no fake gums. As per dental experts, the need for fake gums on the full set of implants depends upon the dental situation of the patient who wants full arch restoration.   

When to have Fake Gums for a Full Set Of Dental Implants or All-on-4 Implants?

There are 5 categories of full arch restoration, which describe how the final teeth set is made. Among them, the first three relate to having a fully fixed set of prosthetic teeth, meaning the artificial teeth and possibly gums are directly screwed into the implants. The other two categories consider removable prosthetic teeth. Some of these implant categories have fake gums while some do not. Which one the patient goes for is not a kind of choice to be made. It’s about what type is most appropriate for the patient’s kind of bone loss or their unique situation. It even depends upon how their lips frame their smile, meaning while smiling how much gums portion is visible, and what the height-width ratio of prosthetic teeth which are going to be fitted into the implants.   

The First Category of Fixed Prosthetic Implants (Without Fake Gums)

It is preferred in those cases where the patient does not have any false gum and the teeth are at an average height-to-width ratio. To achieve ideal aesthetics, the width of the tooth must be 75-80% of the height of the tooth. The high-width ratio is calculated at the front and inside the tooth while the gum level is dictated by wherever the patient’s gum line ends up after their teeth have been lost or extracted. After the loss of teeth, the gum and the jawbone shrink away and quite often the gum lines recede. It is notoriously difficult to increase the height of the jawbone and reverse the receding gum lines.

Once the teeth are removed or lost, the dentist needs to figure out how long and where should the incisal (bottom) edge of the teeth be. This depends upon where the gum ends and is even linked to the position of the lips of the patients as well as their general facial appearance, age, and gender. So, females show more teeth than men, and the visible portion of the tooth at rest is longer, only if they are of the same age group as men. However, as they get older their upper teeth would be less visible than their bottom teeth. The dentists take all of this into account to say about the bottom edge of the teeth. But, they don’t have a lot of control over the incisal edge of the tooth and the position of the gingival margin- the meeting point of the tooth and gums. That’s because, during the placement of dental implants, the height of the gums and lips position is not in the control of the dentists.

In the case of the first category, there is very little jawbone resorption or the extraction of the teeth and their replacement with implants is strategically done so that the overall gum appearance, including the gum papillae (pink triangles between the gum), can be maintained. This is the hardest thing to do. There are many downsides to getting this category of implants, from clinical and functional viewpoints, such as they are not very aesthetically pleasing, and who would like to keep the uneven gingival architecture when there is the option of fake gums? 

The Second Category of Fixed Prosthetic Implants Without Fake Gums

It is recommended by dentists if the patients do not want fake gums and they are happier with their naturally extra-long teeth resulting from the absence of the majority of their gums and gum papillae. 

 The Third Category of Fixed Prosthetic Implants With Fake Gums 

Implant specialists may recommend this to patients who accept that they have bone loss due to severe gum disease or there is more of a jawbone removed as a part of treatment and need to compensate for all of this. It is chosen to hide the transition line between the prosthetics and the natural gum i.e. underneath the lip so that it’s not visible and whatever is noticeable is now made fake. The real advantage of this is that fake teeth and gums can be made to look natural and very aesthetically appealing. That’s because dentists have full control over maintaining the height-width ratio of every tooth. So, they can help create a flawless smile for their patients because there are no longer limitations of putting efforts into making the smile fit wherever their gum line is supposed to be. Additionally, they can help create the patients’ gum lines as well as sharp, natural, younger-looking papillae in between the teeth. All this is important for patients to achieve a new, youthful, beautiful smile that fits them and makes them look good.            

The Fourth Category of Removable Prosthetic Implants (With Fake Gums)

This involves the use of clip-on dentures or clip-off teeth as removable prosthetics. The procedure involves first fixing a metal bar into the implants which links all the implants together and within them the fixed prosthetic teeth and then the clicking in of slim denture into this fixed metal bar. This is advantageous as all the biting forces are transmitted first to the metal bar and then through the implants without putting pressure on the gums. However, they are priced almost the same as fixed types.  

The Fifth Category of Removable Prosthetic Implants (With Fake Gums) 

The procedure involves surgical placement of the implants, placing locator attachments into the installed implants, and then putting on slim dentures which click into the implants. Here, the gums take up some of the loadings. The dentures sit on the gums and are then clicked into the implants. So while biting the pressure is put on the gums and the implants. Mostly, these removable kinds are done by dental implant specialists at EON Clinics as there is no metal bar which makes the treatment costly and complex.

For more insights on dental implants with fake gums and without fake gums, consult now the dental implant expert in Chicago at EON Clinics.