Implant supported dentures or implant retained dentures allow patients with minimal bone structure to wear dentures. They have a precision attachment that snaps onto the implant allowing the patient to speak and eat normally. These types of dentures are used on patients who do not have any denture support.
When Does a Person Require an Implant Supported Denture?
Implant supported Dentures are mostly used by the elderly and any other person who has been using dentures for a long time. When the maxilla and mandible of the upper and lower jaw lose their dentition due to injury, disease or decay, the bone ridges are left with nothing to support.
When teeth are removed, the sockets fill in with bone allowing the ridge to reshape. This is part of the healing process after tooth is removed. Conventional dentures can be used provided the gum has ridges. However, with age, the ridges disappear. This leaves the denture with no support making it impossible for the person to keep dentures in the mouth or use them as intended. It also makes it impossible for the individual to speak or chew properly.
Double Abutment Screw Implants
In this case, dentists take X-rays of the upper and lower jaws to determine if the individual has thick bones that can hold the implant. After determining the denseness of the jaws, the dentist selects two points on either side of the arch and opens up the gums in those areas. Obviously, this is done after the administration of anesthesia. The dentist then prepares small holes into the two areas, screws the implants into the holes and stitches back the gum. The heads of the implants are the ones that will be used to hold the denture in place.
Custom Metal Framework Implants
This implant procedure should be the last resort for any patient. Those who need this procedure are people with severe deterioration of the bone structure that it would be dangerous to put screw implants because it may interfere with underlying nerves under the gum tissue.
This procedure involves the complete retraction of the gum tissue to expose the bone underneath. The dentist then takes an impression of the exposed bone structure and stitches it back. The impression is used to make a surgical steel framework that will be fitted on the gums. The patient then goes back home and comes back on another appointment to be fitted with the titanium framework that will hold the dentures in place.
Once the patient heals, they are taken back to the dentist on another appointment so that the dentist can take impressions for a new denture. The new denture is constructed with attachments to fit smoothly with the implant screws.
