Many individuals know that a permanent dental implant is an ideal tooth restoration. Some don’t realize, however, that two or more can support a partial or full denture. This can be a more budget-friendly option than having many implants while still providing many improvements as compared to conventional dentures.
Today’s post answers the most common questions about implant dentures.
The first thing to know is that a fixed implant denture is called an “implant-supported” denture while a removable one is called an “implant-retained” denture.
What Are Implant Dentures?
Like standard dentures, implant-supported dentures replace missing teeth. The difference is that they are attached to titanium posts which are surgically inserted into the jawbone.
Each post is called an implant. The implant fuses with the surrounding bone structure to create an incredibly strong restoration. These posts are similar to the implants that hold a crown, except instead of a crown, they have a clip that attaches to the denture, partial denture, or metal bar that holds the denture connectors. Implants can be used for both upper and lower dentures.
Bar-Retained and Ball-Retained Systems
There are two types of implant stabilization methods: bar-retained and ball-retained. For both, the denture is created with gum-colored acrylic for the base to which porcelain (or acrylic) false teeth are attached. The denture calls for, at a minimum, two implants for stabilization.
With the ball-retained system, each post holds an attachment (male or female) that fits into a corresponding adapter on the denture. These are sometimes called “stud-attachment.”
With bar-retained dentures, a metal bar is anchored to two to five implants. The bar holds the clips that connect to the denture.
If you are currently wearing traditional dentures, talk to us about superior restoration options.
Contact Advanced Cosmetic & Implant Dentistry:
206-381-3055
Location (Tap to open in Google Maps):
901 Boren Ave #1940, Seattle, WA 98104
