Implant-Support Dentures

If you are missing all or most of your teeth and like the idea of the ease of dentures combined with the natural look and feel of dental implants, then implant-supported dentures might be the right tooth-replacement option for you.

What Are Implant-Supported Dentures?

While traditional dentures are designed to hug and suction onto a patient’s gums, implant-supported dentures are dentures that are fastened to a number of strategically placed dental implants.

The Benefits of Implant-Supported Dentures

Implant-supported dentures offer many benefits beyond what traditional dentures can provide. They offer a far superior solution to traditional dentures because they look natural and feel and function like regular teeth.

Additionally, implant-supported dentures never slip, slide, or shift around inside the mouth. They require no sticky denture adhesive, and they never rub or cause sores inside the mouth as ill-fitting traditional dentures can.

Also, they offer a much simpler solution to replacing all or the majority of a person’s teeth but without the need to place nearly as many dental implants. As a result, implant-supported dentures are usually the preferred option when compared to replacing many teeth, rather than a one-for-one tooth replacement with dental implants.

Your Options in Implant-Supported Dentures

If you are considering implant-supported dentures, you’ll find that several different options are available, and these can be customized to meet your individual needs and treatment preferences.

Full or Partial

Implant-supported dentures are available in both full and partial styles. Full dentures are intended to replace all of a patient’s missing teeth (or an entire row of missing teeth), and partial dentures are designed to replace the missing teeth of a patient who still has some natural teeth remaining.

Permanent or Removable

Implant-supported dentures can be either permanent or removable. Permanent dentures are cemented to the abutments of the dental implant anchors, while removable dentures are designed to snap on and off of the dental implants. These removable styles are often called snap-on dentures or overdentures.

What To Expect When Getting Implant-Supported Dentures

When getting implant-supported dentures, the first step is to schedule a consultation and evaluation. During this appointment, one of our dentists performs a dental examination and also evaluates digital X-rays of your maxillofacial structures to devise the best treatment plan.

We then enter a preparation process that might entail extracting remaining teeth and/or a bone grafting procedure to ensure your jawbone is strong enough to support the dental implants you will receive.

Once healed from the extraction and bone grafting, we can schedule an appointment for implant placement. A period of healing follows implant placement, and at this time, your jawbone undergoes an osseointegration process with the dental implant anchors.

Once healed, we can fit the anchors with abutments designed to attach to your permanent denture or overdenture. A brief healing period might be required after abutments are placed, depending on how your gum tissue healed around the anchors.

Once the gum tissue has recovered, your denture can finally be placed.

Are Implant-Supported Dentures Right for You?

Implant-supported dentures make a wonderful natural-feeling tooth-replacement option for many patients. However, they are not the best choice for every patient’s dental restoration journey. To find out if implant-supported dentures are right for you and learn about additional tooth-replacement options available to you, we welcome you to schedule a smile restoration consultation at Oakwood Dental in Bucyrus today.