Many people who have conventional dentures don’t wear them for the simple fact that they don’t stay in place. It’s difficult to keep dentures secure as the gum and bone naturally recede following tooth loss, particularly in the lower jaw.
DENTAL TREATMENTS
Many people who have conventional dentures don’t wear them for the simple fact that they don’t stay in place. It’s difficult to keep dentures secure as the gum and bone naturally recede following tooth loss, particularly in the lower jaw. If you have this problem, you’ll know about the embarrassment of slipping dentures, not being able to eat the foods that you love and the ineffectiveness of denture adhesives.
More and more, our expectations are that the teeth we chew with should be fixed in place, and patients of all ages are turning away from conventional dentures and looking to implants as a way of fixing their dentures in place, or to replace their dentures entirely by providing a fixed dental bridge instead of the denture.
A dental implant denture is attached to implants.
Whereas a regular denture rests on the gums and can cause the gums to tire or ache, having implants underneath the denture can be used to reduce the movement of the denture (implant retained denture), or, reduce movement and provide biting force to the denture (implant supported denture).
An easy guide is to ask whether you want to be able to eat steaks and apples? If the answer is yes, then you likely need an implant supported denture.
If the answer is simply that you need your denture to move far less, but you don’t mind passing on crunchy apples and chewy steaks, then an implant retained denture is likely to suffice.
The difference between the two types of denture is how many implants you need underneath the denture. For this reason, it is often possible to cater to a lower budget when improving dentures with implants, by forgoing some of the benefits of a greater number of implants.
Implant retained dentures require 2 implants. Remember there will still be slight movement in the denture.
Implant supported dentures (for eating steaks and apples) require a minimum of 4 in the lower jaw and 4-6 in the upper jaw.
Implants can take some of the pressure off your gums to help keep you functioning comfortably throughout a day.
More stable dentures also help you enjoy and digest a healthy and balanced diet. Digestion is key to quality of life, and good health.
