How Are Dentures Anchored by Implants?

Dentures can be anchored to implants in numerous ways. The least invasive (and least costly) treatment is mini implants. Utilizing a new or existing denture, the Dentist places several (5 optimum) mini implants in the anterior jaw. Through use of snapping in male- female attachments a lower denture can gain stability for chewing and speaking.

Mini implants are far more predictable in the lower jaw. Due to the composition of the bone we find much more success with lower dentures. Even so, mini implants may not be enough security for many people. In these cases,and in the upper jaw we like to place full size implants.  Using 2 or more implants we can secure a denture utilizing the same snap in method. This allows patients the security of a tight fitting set of teeth,yet they can easily be removed for cleaning.

Dentures Can be anchored to dental implants in a few different manners.  Each way has its own function, complexity and associated cost.  Dentures can be attached to implants with a ball and o-ring attachment or Locator attachments which allow the pt to remove them and clean them.  These are very comfortable and usually require a fewer number of implants depending on the particular case. Dentures can also be attached to implants by screw retention which makes the denture a more "permanent" fixture which can only be removed by your dentist. This would be done on occasion for cleaning of the prosthesis. This can be done as as Teeth in an Hour or All On Four.  If considering this treatment, you should avoid the dental implant "SuperCenters" out there.  They basically treat patients like they are being sold a timeshare, they have no vested interest in the patient, just their bank account