Implant Retained Dentures
We understand conventional dentures can be difficult and frustrating. Luckily, implant retained dentures have revolutionized the denturist profession and made for a much better patient experience.
Benefits of Dental Implants
Denture implants can improve your quality of life dramatically by offering you the closest thing to natural teeth. With denture retained implants, you can live without the daily struggles of conventional dentures.
- Prevents additional bone loss in the jaw
- Allows you to eat virtually anything from crunchy apples to any type of meat
- Restores confidence in knowing that your dentures aren’t at risk of falling out in public
- Provides unsurpassed retention
What is a Dental Implant?
A dental implant is a titanium screw that is placed into the upper or lower jaw that mimics the root of a natural tooth. It helps maintain bone mass and the bone will bond with the implant over time. After healing is complete, the implants serve as the anchors for your implant retained dentures.
The Dental Implant Process
Implant-supported dentures are an effective option for preventing resorption of the jaw, and they also offer a more secure alternative to removable dentures. Here’s how it works:
- First, dental implants made of titanium (known as an artificial root) are placed into the jaw bone and allowed to heal for at least six weeks. Once the tissue has healed sufficiently and the living bone and the implant have started to combine, it’s time for the next step.
- Now, a cast bar of metal or ball and socket-type abutment (connector) is connected to the implants. This is what your dentures will attach to to keep them securely in place.
- Your denturist will attach your denture to the connector, and your denturist or dentist should also be the only one to ever remove it.
- With your implant-retained dentures in place, you’re ready to eat, smile, and chew with the confidence that your denture is held securely in place.
Fixed Implant Bridges
The All-on-4 treatment concept replaces your missing teeth with a full dental bridge supported by 4-5 dental implants. Typically, our team can place temporary provisional teeth on the same day of treatment. These provisional teeth look and feel much like natural teeth, and you can lead a normal life immediately after surgery. After 3 months of healing time, we will be able to start treatment on your final bridge.
Frequently Asked Questions
In approximately 95% of cases when proper molds and jaw measurements can be taken, it’s possible to get same day dentures after your teeth are pulled. This will also depend on your oral health history. These dentures are known as immediate dentures and they’re worn until your gums have sufficiently healed for your permanent dentures.
Eating with your immediate dentures in might feel a bit awkward at first and you’ll likely find it easier to stick to soft foods at first. As you progress in your recovery, try cutting your food into smaller bites. This will help you become comfortable eating with your new denture. As you become even more confident, you can include different foods into your diet. But remember, particularly sticky, hard, or chewy foods may still be challenging to eat.
The cost of implant-supported dentures depends on things like how many implants are placed in the jaw and what kind of denture is fabricated over the implants.
In most cases, the minimal number of dental implants for a removable restoration on the upper jaw is four. Six or more implants could be required for a non-removable restoration.
Food can sometimes get caught between the soft gum tissues and the teeth or implants they’re attached to. We’ll discuss how to handle this as well as some tips for preventing it when you meet with us.
Immediate dentures must be kept in for the first 24-48 hours after tooth extractions for a few important reasons. First, they act as a type of bandage in the mouth and can limit bleeding and also help prevent blood clots from breaking apart. It’s also important to keep them in because once they’re removed, your gums could swell and you’ll be unable to reinsert them.
While you may be tempted to remove your immediate dentures in hopes it will alleviate any discomfort or pain, these feelings are a result of the extraction, not the dentures, so this isn’t an effective solution. Instead, place ice packs on your face and follow any other instructions your denturist and dentist share with you.
Not sure which denture service you need?
Contact us today for a Denture Consultation.
Office
10-516 St Albert TrailSt. Albert, Alberta
Phone
780-459-3437Hours
Monday to Thursday: 8am - 5pmFriday: 8am - 3pm