Implant Overdentures

Forefront Dentistry, Tulsa OK

An implant overdenture is a removable full arch implant prosthesis for patients who are missing all of their natural teeth on one or both arches. The process involves placing two to six dental implants (depending on the situation) around the arch. Once the implants have healed to the bone, abutments are connected to the dental implants and a denture can then be custom fabricated to attach to the implants and use them as retention. What the patient receives upon completion is a complete denture that “snaps” into place. This allows the patient to speak and chew much more comfortably and securely than a conventional denture, while also allowing the patient the freedom to take out the prosthesis at home to clean it. Utilizing dental implants in this way is especially beneficial for complete dentures replacing the lower teeth. Conventional lower complete dentures lack the suction present on the upper arch; therefore, implant overdentures are of tremendous benefit to patients. For this reason, as long as the patient is a dental implant candidate, it is always recommended that he or she pursue an implant overdenture to replace the lower arch of teeth rather than a conventional denture. Finally, in certain cases, dental implants can be very helpful with partial dentures as well. If a patient is missing a key anchor tooth to have a proper fitting partial, a dental implant can be used as an anchor and provide a great innovative solution to an otherwise difficult problem.