What Are Implant Retained Dentures?

In the past, patients who lost most or all of their teeth had only one alternative, traditional partial removable dentures, or full dentures. Dentures will improve the smile and quality of life, but they will do so while presenting the gain with some downsides. Conventional dentures require better protection from plastic or metal on the palate but this decreases the taste and can cause speech problems. We often tend to make chewing harder and have little support which sometimes allows them to move and not fit properly. Fortunately, by using dental implants to maintain partial and full dentures, most of this discomfort can be tackled.

WHAT ARE IMPLANT-RETAINED COMPLETE DENTURES?

Implant-retained complete dentures, like traditional complete dentures, allow all your missing teeth and gums to be replaced, but they are attached to the dental implants to provide a more stable fit. Still removable are those dentures. They are also called complete dentures supported by implants, implant overdentures, overdentures with implant bars, “snap-in” dentures, etc.

What are Implant-Retained Partial Dentures?

Implant-retained partial dentures, such as traditional removable partial dentures, allow the missing teeth and gums to be replaced, but they are attached to the dental implants to provide a more comfortable fit. This implant attachment can be the clasps that connect the partial denture to your natural teeth in addition to or allow to be removed. Also removable are those dentures. These are also called partial dentures assisted by implants, partial overdentures with implants, partial dentures with “snap-in” etc.

What are the advantages of Implant-Retained Denture treatment?

In addition to allowing all missing teeth to be inserted in a dental arch, dental implants help prevent the bone loss that happens when teeth are lost. The jawbone has no use when no teeth are present which leads to its deterioration. This jawbone shrinkage has esthetic implications for your face (causing an older appearance), especially when all the teeth are missing. The bone is put to use, preserving it and your facial support with the use of implant prostheses.

As traditional dentures do, an implant-retained removable prosthesis will replace both the teeth and gum tissue. It does behave more like your natural teeth, however, than traditional dentures. The prosthesis is securely held in place even when you chew and talk. However, as with all options for replacing full-arch teeth, these prostheses secure the bite and jaw joint.

Those healthy and usable teeth are more likely to improve your confidence, self-esteem, and quality of life compared to conventional dentures.

Benefits

Implant-supported dentures have many benefits over their conventional counterparts, including:

• Stability – Although traditional dentures tend to move out of place, implant-retained dentures, on the other hand, small titanium posts embedded in the jaw hold them securely in place.

• Biting, chewing, and speaking is easier – Thanks to the safekeeping of dentures, patients can bite, chew and talk with ease just as they did with their natural teeth. Now, there is nothing to stop them from biting their grandchild into a crunchy apple or reading a story.

• Can’t be distinguished from real teeth – Conventional dentures sit on the gum line while implant-retained dentures are placed under the gum line which gives them a much more natural look. What’s more, no-one can tell they aren’t real teeth.

• Halt bone loss – When teeth are lost, the bone and soft tissues that have preserved them start to fade away from being used. These can’t stop conventional dentures from happening.