Denture Implants

The teeth are a very essential component of a person’s body. On the practical side of things, they allow you to eat the wide wondrous foods around us. From a aesthetics point of view, they give you a magnetic smile and positively adds to the profile of your face. However, as a person ages and because of whatever circumstances they experience (e.g. gum disease), they lose a majority or all of their teeth. This unfortunate turn of events can severely hinder the quality of the person’s life. For example, these people won't be able to enjoy their favorite foods because they can't chew as easily or at all.

These people generally turn to acquiring dentures to resolve their problem. Because this kind of dental prosthesis sits directly onto the gum, they tend to be loose fitting. This can cause physical discomfort as a result of the dentures rubbing against the gum as the person chews. In addition, there is a chance of these dentures falling out of the mouth completely in a middle of conversation, which can be a socially embarrassing and distressing situation.

Therefore, there is a gaining popularity for dental implants dentures. Basically, the way this works is that screws or posts (generally made of pure titanium) are implanted into the jawbone and special implant supported dentures are attached onto these implants. As a result, the dentures are effectively much more stable, which creates greater comfort when eating and talking. The knock-on effects include eating better and hence better health as well as improvements on confidence. These particular dentures can be either fixed into the mouth or removable (i.e. snap on/off).

Most of the time, dentures implants are carried out for the lower jaw as this is where the traditional dentures are more likely to be less secure and hence shift about more. On the other hand, dentures for the upper jaw don’t tend to move much. Having said that, implants can be also done for the upper jaw.

Once you have been recommended (or chosen yourself) a dental professional specializing in oral implantology, you’ll need to undergo an initial consultation prior to surgery. You will likely need to have various scans taken of your mouth (e.g. X-Rays and CT) followed by a review of them together with any other relevant medical histories. Unfortunately, not every person is suitable to go through a denture implant procedure. Hence, these activities accomplish a few things – to identify whether you have sufficient jawbone for the implants, where would the best spots be for the implants, check if there are nerves that will be impacted by the implants, etc.

Temporary dentures will be made for you if you don’t already have dentures. These temporary ones can help with positioning the final implant supported dentures. All this may take up to several weeks.

The next step involves two surgeries, first of which involves installing the implants into the jawbone. The surgeon will drill holes into the bone and the implants are then inserted into them. Once this part is over, the affected areas will need time to heal. For about 4 weeks, you won’t be able to put any pressure on the implants. The main consequence of this is that you won’t be able to use your temporary dentures. Even after this period, the temporary dentures will be to be adjusted to fit with the implants.

After another 4 to 5 months, once the implants and the bone are fused together, you’ll require a second surgery to expose the top ends of the implants (i.e. the parts that meet with the special dentures). Hence total up, the entire process could take anywhere between 6 months to a year. Sometimes, with additional procedures, it may take even longer.

The surgeries are followed by regular check-ups with the dentist to ensure there are no problems with the implants themselves and rectify them if there are issues. The worst thing is to find out something was in fact wrong and finding out too late, which could lead to complications and in turn result in preventable procedures. For example, shifting might occur over time so the dentist may need to re-adjust the implants for better fit. Also, he/she might do some cleaning around the screws if need be during these checkups.