Garak Market Station Dental Clinic - When You Want Dental Implants but Can’t Get Them

Hello. I’m Shin Seung-hwan, the chief director of Yonsei Uline Dental Clinic, Garak Market Station Branch, near Garak-dong, Songpa-gu and Garak Market Station.

For people who are wondering what treatment to choose after losing a tooth, I often get questions like this:

“Isn’t a denture a treatment only for older people?”

To start with the conclusion: no, that is not the case.

A denture is not a treatment chosen simply because someone is older, but a practical alternative when implants are difficult.

If you have almost no teeth left, implants are generally more comfortable and easier to adapt to.

Because implants are fixed into the jawbone, chewing force is stable, and the feel is close to that of natural teeth.

Therefore, if surgery is possible and the bone condition is sufficient, it is generally standard to consider implants first. However, not everyone can get implants.

A representative case is when the jawbone is too weak.

For implants to be firmly fixed, a minimum thickness and height of bone must be secured.

If the bone is too thin or has been significantly resorbed, additional bone grafting surgery may be needed, and this process can be a major burden for the patient.

Another factor is overall health status.

Implants involve a surgical process that includes making an incision in the gums and shaping the bone.

For people who are elderly, have systemic diseases such as cardiovascular disease or diabetes, or have difficulty tolerating a long surgery, this process itself can be burdensome. In such cases, rather than forcing an implant procedure, a denture becomes a safer and more realistic choice.

Cost is also something to consider.

If you plan a full implant treatment when there are almost no teeth left, the treatment cost becomes quite high.

On the other hand, dentures are a treatment that can restore chewing function at a relatively lower cost.

In terms of reducing the financial burden while restoring basic chewing function, it remains a valuable treatment option.

However, the denture fabrication process is very important.

Natural teeth are a structure that does not move, but dentures must remain stable while sitting on the movements of the gums, lips, and tongue.

That means precise impression-taking, repeated adjustments, and sufficient clinical experience are required. Having the treatment done at a dental clinic with extensive denture experience is key to improving satisfaction.

In fact, when I treat dentures as well, I always feel that it is a treatment that takes a lot of time and effort from both the patient and the medical staff.

Nevertheless, under conditions where implants are difficult, dentures remain an important treatment that can restore the chewing function needed for daily life for many people.

If you are considering dentures, I recommend receiving a consultation that comprehensively considers the condition of your jawbone, overall health, surgical burden, and cost to find the treatment method that is right for you. That was Yonsei Uline Dental Clinic, near Exit 4 of Garak Market Station.