Multiple Teeth Restorations

While not as common as patients who are missing only a single tooth, we do receive patients here at our Harford County, MD practice that are suffering from multiple missing teeth. Many of these patients end up restoring every one of their missing teeth with individual implants and crowns. However, some patients find that treating their missing teeth this way ends up costing too much, or their oral health is not strong enough to support that many implants. Fortunately, these patients are still able to move forward with tooth restoration treatment using dental implants. Instead of individual restorations for each and every tooth, these patients choose to move forward with implant supported dentures. We encourage you to read on to learn more about this treatment.

The Implant-Supported Overdenture

The implant supported overdenture is exactly what it sounds like. It is a partial or full denture that is attached to a set of implant fixtures. While a regular denture merely sits on top of your gums, your overdenture will connect to your implant fixtures, allowing it to work and feel closer to a natural set of teeth. For this particular process, four to six implant fixtures are placed in your jawbone. They will heal just like natural implants, fusing to your jawbone over time. Once healed, an abutment is attached to each fixture and the overdenture connected, giving you both the full restoration possible with dentures and the stability and support possible only with dental implants.

Types of Overdenture

There are two main types of restoration that are available using an overdenture. These are:

• Bar-retained Dentures: For this type of overdenture, a metal bar is attached to the implant fixtures placed in your jawbone. At this point, connector pieces are attached to either the bar or the overdenture, which will be used to attach the bar to the denture, holding it securely in place.
• Ball-retained Dentures: This type of overdenture restoration is closer to the standard dental implant restoration, which uses an abutment to attach a porcelain crown to the implant fixture. For this treatment, abutments that take the form of small, ball shaped studs are attached to the implant fixtures. These small balls will then attach sockets built into the overdenture, holding the piece securely in place.

What You Can Expect from an Implant-Supported Overdenture

Implant-supported overdentures come with many benefits that make them far superior to their implant-less alternative. For instance, because your overdenture is securely connected to your implants, you will not need to worry about your treatment getting loose or moving out of place. This will make it so that you can speak clearly and chew naturally with your overdenture, making the treatment feel reliable and comfortable.

Your overdenture will also require much less maintenance than what you would expect with a standard denture. You will only need to brush and floss your overdenture normally, just like you would with your natural teeth. This is a big difference from standard dentures, which have to be removed daily and soaked in a cleaning solution.

Determine the Best Overdenture for Your Needs

If you would like to find out which type of overdenture might be best for restoring your smile, you will need to attend a no-obligation consultation with Harford County’s Dr. Richard Grubb. During this consultation, we will examine your oral health and determine your smile goals, using this data to decide on which overdenture can meet your needs. Contact our office today to learn more.