Some people with dentures experience significant difficulties – chewing is extremely difficult, eating is painful, dentures cause frequent abrasions, and their gums atrophy at a fast rate. For these people, dentures over implants may offer a comfortable and lasting solution.
Dental implants are basically artificial roots to which a denture is attached. They are installed by a dental surgeon who has been trained in implant procedures. A few implants will serve as anchors for your denture, providing excellent stability and making chewing, talking, and smiling easy and comfortable.
The implant process takes approximately four to six months, during which time implants are surgically placed in your mouth and a new removable denture is constructed. Most often, you will have little to no time without teeth.
With modern materials and highly skilled practitioners, the success rate of implants has steadily increased over the last 15 years to a point of predictable and comfortable outcomes. The main key to successful implant treatment is proper treatment planning and patient education.
At Vernon Denture Clinic, we specialize in various implant-related treatment options.
Removable Overdentures
These are essentially dentures that fit over and attach to implants. The denture is supported and stabilized by its attachment to the implants. The fit and function of an overdenture is vastly superior to a traditional denture.
Dentures Retrofitted into Implant-Supported Dentures
For this treatment, we take your conventional denture and adapt it to fit onto implants. This treatment is most often done for transition purposes at the time of implant placement, to bridge the gap until your dental implants have fully healed. At that time, a longer-term denture would be provided.
Surgical Stents and Guides for Implant Placement
For denture patients seeking dental implants, we construct tools used by oral surgeons to provide guidance when placing implants. This allows for the correct correlation between the denture and your new implants and ensures that implants are placed correctly in relation to your denture’s function.
Implant-Related Maintenance
Like tires in your car, denture attachments, housings, and inserts will wear out with time and use, requiring periodic assessment and replacement.
We can assess the implant components in your denture and provide ongoing maintenance and service via our standard patient recare program.