If you are seeking SW Calgary Implant Supported Dentures for yourself or a family member, the dental team at Oakridge Crossing Dental are here to make the process as comfortable as possible.
The Oakridge Crossing Dental team creates implant supported dentures (this includes the use of titanium implants secured into the jawbone to form denture stability and restore chewing function, similar to that of natural teeth).
Regular full dentures are supported by your gums and are secured into the mouth with the daily application of an adhesive material. While this method can restore function to eating and chewing as well as restore your smile, the regular maintenance involved is far from ideal for most people. Unfortunately, conventional denture adhesive material can fail at the most inopportune time and cause unnecessary embarrassment and discomfort to the wearer. When using denture adhesive material, it can make fitting your dentures snugly into your mouth a hassle and interfere with essential functions such as biting, chewing and even speaking.
Implant Supported Dentures do not rely on any adhesives. Instead, they use Dental Implants to hold your dentures in place securely. By using Dental Implants, this prevents slippage and makes for a seamless, beautiful and functional smile!
An Implant Supported Denture is supported and attached to dental implants that are securely screwed into your jaw. Usually, a regular denture rests directly on the gums and is held in place with an adhesive material.
Implant-Supported Dentures are used when you do not have any teeth in your jaw, but there is still enough bone structure left to support the installation of dental implants. The Implant Supported Denture then has special attachments that snap onto the dental implants.
Typically, Implant-Supported Dentures can be created either for the lower or upper jaw, depending upon your specific needs.
To maintain your Implant Supported Denture, remove them daily and clean the denture as well as the surrounding gum area. Just like regular dentures, you should not sleep with them in at night. If you do not want to remove your Implant-Supported Denture continually, you can also consider permanent Dental Implants for a full arch replacement.
There are two types of Implant-Supported Dentures available for you to consider: bar-retained or ball-retained. Both types require at least two dental implants for support.
Bar-Retained Dentures — Consists of a thin metal bar that follows the curve of your jaw. It is then attached to between two and five implants that have been previously placed in your jawbone. The denture then fits over the bar and is securely clipped into place.
Ball-Retained Dentures (also known as stud-attachment dentures) — each dental implant in the jawbone holds a metal attachment that fits into another attachment on the denture. In most cases, the attachments on the implants are ball-shaped (“male” attachments), and they fit into sockets (“female” attachments) on the denture. In some cases, the denture holds the male attachments, and the implants hold the female ones.
If you choose an Implant-Supported Denture, your dentures will be much more stable than traditional full dentures using an adhesive. You will find that you don’t have to worry about the denture becoming loose or falling out of your mouth. You should also be able to eat foods that you could not eat before! However, you will still have to be careful about chewing hard or sticky foods as they could potentially damage the denture.
During your initial consultation with your Oakridge Crossing Dental Dentist, we will be happy to discuss all of your options. We will address your Implant Supported Dentures questions and work with you to help you find the solution that best suits your needs!
To learn more about SW Calgary Implant Supported Dentures, please contact us at (403) 475-9800 or request an appointment today!