Dentures are custom-made solutions for missing teeth that can be removed from your mouth and then fixed back again. Modern-day dentures are natural-looking and more comfortable than ever before. For most patients with impaired gums, recurring dental repair, and multiple lost teeth, we often guide to use dentures for proper dental care. Over the years, dentures have become better looking and suitable for dental patients. Hence, an overdenture can be a removable denture, fixed by the dentist to the natural teeth or dental implants. Usually, dentures are used by patients who have the issue of missing the upper or lower teeth. They are mainly termed as the replacement teeth retained by dental implants. They were structured to benefit edentulous patients in regaining a good quality of life, which mostly disappeared when they lost their teeth.
The implant overdentures are an excellent treatment option for the edentulous patient. We advise this prosthesis type when patient demands cannot be met either through a fixed implant prosthesis or through a complete denture. Retention is obtained through the use of attachments placed directly on implants or bar superstructures. Proper cleaning and hygiene measures and maintenance of the removable denture and intraoral retention elements are crucial for long term clinical success.
The utilization of two to four implants leads to excellent prosthesis function and patient satisfaction. During the treatment planning phase, it is essential to ensure sufficient inter-arch space to avoid fabricating a thin prosthesis likely to fracture. In general, when the inter-arch space is minimal, there may not be enough gap to use a bar superstructure, and attachments need to be placed directly on dental implants. Ideally, implants are fixed evenly across the edentulous arch. However, if there is no enough bone in posterior regions, distributing the implants in the inter-foraminal part of the mandible and the inter-maxillary sinus region of the maxilla is indicated.
Types of Overdentures:
- Implant-retained and gum supported dentures: the overdenture sits directly on the gums and is also retained by the dental implants fixed.
- Bar-retained and implant-supported dentures: the overdenture secures retentive attachments on a metal bar that links to the implants we set on the jaw.
- Fixed and implant-supported dentures: the overdenture and the bar act as on piece secured by screws to implants placed into the jawbone.
Benefits of dentures
- Compared to traditional dentures, overdentures offer a variety of benefits to dental patients leading to a happier and healthier life.
- Replacing missing teeth helps improve your beauty and smile. Without support from the denture, facial muscles sag, resulting in a person to look older. Dentures help you eat and speak comfortably.
- You can consume the foods you love. Implant overdentures enables the patient the bite and chew most food items with little restriction.
- No more adhesives
- Helps to regain the self-confidence
- Prevents bone loss
- Implant overdentures improve your quality of life. It offers necessary retention and stability and replacement of lost hard and soft tissues to fulfill aesthetic, phonetic, and functional requirements.
- Easy maintenance of dentures
- Doesn’t cover the palate leading that leads to more comfort
- Protects your facial look from the loss of jawbone
- Great levels of satisfaction
- Detects motion and position inside the mouth
- Leads to better digestion
- Overdentures effectively secures the patient’s teeth and improves the aesthetics of the smile. They can positively impact the patient’s psychological and physical health, leading to improved speech and chewing functions.
- Overdentures usually provide significantly higher masticatory, functional, and life quality scores than patients wearing conventional complete dentures.
- Also, oral hygiene access is more comfortable than a fixed implant prosthesis due to the restoration’s removable nature.
Top oral care tips for dentures
It can sometimes be questioned whether the maintenance costs and technical demands associated with an implant-supported overdenture are warranted when given a fixed prosthesis. But proper and timely cleaning and hygiene measures can lead to long term clinical success.
Some tips for maintaining dentures are:
- Don’t let dentures dry out – Don’t forget to put them in plain water or use a denture cleanser soaking solution when you’re not wearing them. Don’t use hot water that may cause dentures to warp.
- Brush your dentures – You need to brush the dentures daily, remove food and dental plaque, and help prevent them from getting stained.
- Take care of your mouth – Don’t forget to brush your gums, tongue, and palate every morning with a soft-bristled brush before you use your dentures. This helps in the circulation in your tissues and also helps remove plaque.
- Consult your dentist – Save your dates to see your dentist if dentures break, chip, crack, or seem loose. Don’t try to adjust them by yourself — this can damage them beyond repair.
Hence, the implant-supported/retained overdenture helps edentulous patients in different ways. To find if you are the right candidate for overdentures or dental implants, you may book an appointment at our office Implants Pro Center, San Francisco.
Implants Pro Center©, San Francisco, offers a consultation at your convenience. We are also following all the COVID-19 safety guidelines in our office. Find out today how dental implants can change your life. At Implants Pro Center©, San Francisco, we take all primary dental and medical PPO insurances and Medicare, thereby decreasing your anxiety about the expense of dental implant treatment or any oral surgeries. A tremendously experienced and caring team will give life-long care, maintenance, and assistance. Implants Pro Center© is also decked with modern technologies like CT-Scan, Intravenous Sedation, Platelet Rich Fibrin, etc. to present nothing less than the best services. You will be entirely at ease for any of your surgeries.