Stable & Removable, Implant Supported Dentures
Are you missing some or all of your natural teeth? If so, you’re experiencing either partial or complete edentulism. For the 40 million Americans suffering from complete edentulism, dentures can help restore some of their smile’s function.
However, dentures can’t serve as a long term solution to tooth loss due their inability to prevent the health issues caused by edentulism. Dental implants are the best option for tooth loss, but many patients find the procedure for singular dental implants to be either too expensive or too time consuming.
Luckily, Dr. Rangel and his team at Laser Smile Center offer an affordable and effective solution to tooth loss in the form of implant supported dentures. Implant supported dentures, also called overdentures, are as easy to clean and remove as regular dentures, but offer the added stability and benefits of implants.
Drawbacks of Dentures
If you’ve lost many teeth, removable dentures can restore a small fraction of your ability to speak and eat. Unfortunately, dentures can’t permanently solve these issues, nor can they effectively protect your mouth from the oral health issues caused by missing teeth such as:
Resorption
Gum Disease
Instability
Speech Impairment
Adhesive
Inferior Bite Strength
Dentures sit loosely on your gums and don’t provide the stimulation that the roots of natural teeth usually do. This means no signals are being sent to your jawbone to encourage it to maintain its density.
This can result in resorption, where your jawbone is absorbed back into your body. Loss of jawbone density can also lead to premature wrinkles. Additionally, depending on how much your jawbone may deteriorate, you may find that your dentures no longer fit like they should.
Removable dentures don’t properly protect your gums from the wear and tear of chewing. They also can’t shield your gums from bacteria entering wounds left behind by missing teeth. This increases your chances of gum disease and inflammation.
Traditional dentures have no real support or stability while they’re in your mouth. This makes them prone to slipping or falling out, which can lead to expensive repair or replacement fees if they break on impact.
While removable dentures can help you regain some of your ability to speak after you’ve lost teeth, it can take up to two weeks to get used to speaking with them in. Additionally, speaking with dentures presents the added challenge of making sure they stay in place.
While denture adhesive can be helpful in making your dentures more stable, it can also be foul-tasting, grimy, and messy. If the adhesive is not cleaned off carefully, the buildup it leaves behind can accumulate bacteria, leading to oral health issues such as bad breath and infection.
Removable dentures only provide a fraction of the bite force of natural teeth, making it harder to chew certain foods. Food that has not been properly chewed is harder to digest and can lead to issues such as:
- Indigestion
- Nutritional deficit
- Diabetes
- Obesity
What Are Implant Supported Dentures?
Implant supported dentures are removable dentures that are held in place by dental implants. Your complete, custom made restoration will be made of three separate parts:
- The biocompatible titanium implant posts will be the foundation for your denture.
- The abutments, or connector pieces, will be used to attach your denture to your implants.
- The denture will be the replacement for your missing teeth.
The Benefits of Implant Supported Dentures
Implant supported dentures can be a great compromise between traditional dentures and singular dental implants. Some advantages of implant supported dentures include:
- Maintained jawbone density
- Stability
- Comfort
- Removability
- Affordability
- Short procedure time
- Stronger bite
- Prevention of gum disease
- Speech clarity
The Implant Supported Denture Process
Consultation
Before you can receive your restoration, you’ll attend a consultation with Dr. Rangel. He’ll examine your mouth, discuss your medical history and dental goals with you and determine if you’re a good candidate for implant supported dentures.
Dr. Rangel might recommend supplemental procedures like bone grafting or gum grafting if there is significant jawbone density loss or gum recession.
- Bone grafting: Transplanting bone to the future implant site to help support the implant.
- Gum grafting: soft tissue to an area where gum tissue has been lost or recessed in order to support an implant.
Once Dr. Rangel determines that you’re eligible for implant supported dentures, we’ll schedule you for your next appointment.
Surgical Implant Placement
- We’ll apply a safe anesthetic so you won’t feel any pain during the procedure. If you’re experiencing dental anxiety, we also offer sedation dentistry options.
- After we’ve ensured that the anesthetic is working properly, Dr. Rangel will remove any remaining teeth that could interfere with the denture.
- He’ll then make incisions for your implants into your jaw. Implant supported dentures usually use four to six implants.
- The titanium posts will be inserted into these incisions and fastened to your jawbone.
- Your incisions will be sewn shut and sealed with a temporary denture while you recover from surgery.
- Leave our Odessa office the same day and begin recovery!
Healing will be complete once osseointegration has fully taken place. Osseointegration is the process of your jawbone fusing to your implants and can take up to six months.
Implant Supported Denture Placement
- At your next appointment, Dr. Rangel will place the abutments, which help connect the implants to your denture piece.
- Once we check to see that your dentures properly fit onto your implants, we will permanently secure them in place.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are implant-supported dentures permanent?
How much do implant supported dentures cost?
How do I care for my implant-supported dentures?
Implant-supported dentures are an improved alternative to dentures as they’re permanently secured to your jawbone to provide a sturdy base for your prosthetics. By securing your dentures with dental implants, you can live with more confidence, improved health, and better function.
Although the dental implants are permanent, your denture piece will be able to be removed for proper cleaning and during the night. Ask Dr. Rangel about proper care at your appointment.
The price of implant supported dentures can vary based on factors such as your specific dental needs and how many implants will be needed to support the denture.
We suggest contacting your dental provider beforehand to learn if your plan will cover the cost of treatment. You can visit our financing page to learn more about our affordable payment options.
Dr. Rangel will show you how to care for your new implant supported dentures following your procedure. Just like your natural teeth, you’ll need to provide proper dental hygiene to your implant supported dentures as well. Here’s how:
- Remove your dentures every morning and night to rinse them.
- Use a soft-bristle toothbrush and a cleanser to gently brush your dentures, making sure to clean around the attachments as well.
- Be sure to clean your mouth properly, including your gums, tongue, cheeks, and the roof of your mouth.
- Rinse your mouth after meals to prevent the buildup of debris.
- Whenever you’re not wearing them, put them in a safe place and soak them in water so they don’t dry out or change shape.
Failure to properly clean your implants can lead to food particles getting trapped in them. This could lead to bad breath, gum disease, tooth decay, and even infection.
Enjoy The Long Lasting Durability of Implant Supported Dentures
With implant supported dentures, you’ll be able to enjoy a stable set of dentures that you can still remove for easy cleaning while preserving your overall health.
To schedule a consultation, contact our Odessa office at (432) 333-6169 or fill out our contact form. A team member will be with you shortly. Dr. Rangel and the dental team at Laser Smile Center are excited to help you start the path to a full, healthy smile!
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