Dentures

 

Partial Dentures and Implant Assisted Partial Overdentures

Partial dentures are removable appliances designed to replace one or more missing teeth.  Most often, partial dentures are fabricated with a custom, lab fabricated metal framework upon which acrylic teeth are set and retained by pink acrylic which mimics the look of one’s gum tissue.  Partial dentures can reside on teeth and can rest on gum tissue resulting in a tooth borne or tissue borne partial denture, respectively.  Tooth borne partial dentures are favorable when possible since they apply an insignificant amount of pressure to the gum tissue.  Long term pressure applied to gum tissue and the supporting bone leads to pressure resorption of the supporting bone.  This phenomenon requires that tissue borne partial dentures be relined periodically to regain proper contact with the tissue after the bone resorption occurs.

Implant assisted partial overdentures are removable appliances that utilize one or more dental implants to better retain a partial denture.  Properly osseointegrated dental implants can help retain and support a partial denture when indicated.  A specific attachment is chosen by your dentist to attach to the implants and a precision attachment housed in the underside of the partial denture engages the implant attachments.  The benefit of implants in this situation is to retain bone and minimize pressure induced resorption of the bone.  The implant or implants also serve to better retain a partial denture when there are multiple missing teeth including the most posterior teeth in the arch.

Complete Dentures and Implant Assisted Complete Overdentures

Complete dentures are removable appliances designed to restore a complete arch of missing teeth when no tooth structure is present.  Complete dentures rely completely on soft tissue to maximize their support.  Special consideration is taken to design a complete denture utilizing the patient’s existing anatomy as optimally as possible.  Because complete dentures reside entirely on soft tissue and the underlying bone, pressure induced resorption of the bone is an inevitable outcome over time.  This resorption causes the need for denture reline procedures when indicated.

Implant assisted complete overdentures are removable appliances that utilize two or more dental implants to better retain a complete denture (or denture that restores every tooth in a particular arch).  Properly osseointegrated dental implants can help retain and support a complete denture when indicated.  A specific attachment is chosen by your dentist to attach to the implants and a precision attachment housed in the underside of the complete denture engages the implant attachments.  The benefit of implants in this situation is to retain bone and minimize pressure induced resorption of the bone.  

Hybrid Implant Denture or “All on Four” Hybrid Overdenture

A hybrid implant denture is indicated when a patient is missing all or most of their teeth in a given arch and desires a restorative solution that is fixed in place and does not cover one’s palate (or roof of mouth).  Four or more implants are placed in either the maxillary or mandibular arch (or perhaps both).  Special attachments are placed on the implants to engage attachments on the underside of the hybrid denture.  This option yields the best retention and the closest feel to having natural teeth without encountering the exorbitant costs of many implants retaining individual restorations or implants bridges in an individual arch.

Learn more about dentures – Please call 925.837.7277 or contact us today