I Had the Locators Put in my Lower Denture Thursday, and Friday They Will Not Snap In. What Could Be the Problem?

Many Patients do not understand the concept of Dentures vs. a Permanent Bridge on 4 Implants. Denture [den′chər] Etymology: L, dens, tooth; An artificial tooth or a set of artificial teeth not permanently fixed or implanted. Removable over-dentures on an implant bar provide an improved fit when compared to traditional Dentures, however they are still Removable Dentures. A dental bar is fixed to your jaw bone with two or more implants, providing stronger support for your Removable Dentures. Your new teeth must be Removed for cleaning, and you may still require a palate and excess material on the Dentures to provide stability. Studies have indicated that this solution provides only 60-75% chewing ability, and a diminished ability to taste foods.

The All-on-4™ is the modern solution for all missing teeth. This treatment concept replaces your missing teeth with a Full Dental Bridge, No Palate, No Excess Material, Not Removable, and supported by only Four Specialty Dental Implants, with two of the Implants placed at precise angles. With less implants needed, overall treatment time is reduced. The unique All-on-4 solution also ensures greater stability in the bone, reducing the need for bone graft surgery to increase bone volume. Your teeth will look, feel and are brushed much like natural teeth, and you can lead a normal life immediately after a 1 Day surgery. Studies indicate that Patients receive 90-95% chewing ability. Your quality of life is improved and you can start enjoying your favorite foods again.

Locator inserts are made of a special plastic. Sometimes they can bend or get grimped and not allow full seating. Plus they go in a certain path , so be sure they are positioned accurately over the implant when you put them in. It is usually a simple matter for the dentist to change them out. Also, the change rate can be 1-4 times per year, with a manageable fee.

Locator attachments can be very good and sometimes have issues.  If the male ends of the locator attachments are not perfectly parallel then there is a chance that the nylon inserts get mashed inside the housing preventing proper seating of the locator.  There are two different types of nylon inserts to help if there is a problem with the parallelism of the attachments. I would guess that you need the more forgiving nylon inserts.  The other thing I have found patients like to do is place the denture in their mouth and bite it into place.  This causes early failure of the the locator due to the improper path of seating of the denture.  If this problem persist, consider having the locator attachments replaced with ball attachments - they are much more forgiving and you can change them yourself without the need for special tools.

Hank D. Michael, DMD | Dentist in Sarasota, FL