Denture Implant Solutions
Though dentures are a good way to obtain a good-looking smile once teeth have been lost, a patient with no teeth at all on one or both arches might find wearing a full denture uncomfortable and bulky, not to mention restrictive in terms of speech and eating. Full upper dentures are particularly restrictive when it comes to taste, as the palate is partially obstructed. They are, however, usually well tolerated, though issues regarding gagging, taste, speech and instability are often complained about.
Dentures and bone loss
After long-term denture wear, the underlying bone recedes and reduces the chances of successful future dental implant surgeries, not to mention consequent face shape change meaning denture adjustments become necessary over time.One of the most common emergency complaints regarding acrylic dentures is that they are hurting. There can be a number of reasons for this: in an attempt to gain adequate retention without the aid of dental implants, dentures are sometimes prone to feel tight, and maybe even uncomfortable. Sore spots can form underneath the denture where the material may rub, though this can be solved by a dentist through small adjustments.
A more retentive treatment option would be one using dental implants to support the denture. This can be such that the denture is removable by the patient, or fixed and only removable by a dentist. The significant advantages to these treatment options are that the dentures are much more stable and provide a more natural function. Chewing becomes easier and bone levels are maintained, providing long-term stability and maintained face shape. Also, with dental implant-supported dentures it is not necessary to have material covering the majority of the palate as retention is gained mechanically from the dental implants, so taste is unaffected and gagging is reduced if not completely eliminated.
Furthermore, as bone height is maintained, the face shape does not change and denture adjustments are far less likely to be required, leaving you with long-term, comfortable dentures.
Denture implants options
Two options are available at our surgery for denture implant-retained dentures and each come with their own significant advantages:
Locators: These types of dentures fasten into place over a number of single, discrete implants. This works much like press-studs on items of cloths and is often the desirable option when patients like to minimise the feeling of a prosthesis in their mouth, as only a thin later of acrylic is needed to support the denture.
Milled-bar: Dental implants are placed in the same way as locators, yet they are splinted together by a metal bar onto which the denture attaches. Though this option is slightly bulkier it is easily tolerated by most people and provides a more even load across all dental implants.