Are Implant Dentures Any Better Than Conventional Dentures?
Implant dentures look almost identical to conventional dentures. The only difference can be seen on the underside of the acrylic base—the pink-coloured plate that holds the denture's prosthetic teeth. Here you'll see a thin metal bar (for bar-retained dentures), or a series of small metal balls (for ball-retained dentures). The bar or balls is what connect your dentures to the implants placed in your jaw, and it's these additions that make implant dentures function very differently from conventional dentures.
How Many Implants You'll Need
The number of implants needed to secure a denture will be different for each patient. A denture can be held in place with as little as two implants, but in some cases up to ten will be required. This depends on the health (density) of your jawbone, your bite pattern (the strength of your bite) and your overall dental health.
Placing Your Implants
All implants to hold your dentures will typically be placed in the same session (under a strong local anaesthetic). Once placed in your jaw, your bone will begin to heal, which integrates its tissues with the implants. This integration is what locks the implants into position, giving them the strength to support the bite pressure that your dentures will absorb. Don't be concerned—you won't be left toothless while your implants heal. You can be given temporary dentures. These won't be quite as strong as your permanent implant dentures, but do a perfectly adequate job in the short term.
Connecting Your Implants to Your Dentures
Once your jaw and gum tissues have healed, you may need an additional (incredibly minor) surgical procedure to expose the dental implants in your gums (which may have healed over the implants). Once exposed, your dentist can attach the bar-retained or ball-retained connective abutments to the implant, which correspond to the connection built into the denture's base (which is being manufactured).
Placing Your Dentures
Now your dentures are ready to be installed, and it's just a matter of clicking them into place. They offer far more sturdiness than conventional dentures, which is why many patients don't mind the slight inconvenience of oral surgery to have their implants fitted. In addition to their stability, their rigidly-fixed position makes them look (and feel) more natural too.
When you're missing all your teeth in an upper or lower jaw (or even both), you want to balance function with the look of your false teeth. The only way to truly replicate a jaw's worth of missing natural teeth is with implant dentures.
Speak to your dentist to learn more about implant dentures.
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