How Can I Get My Dentures to Stop Coming Loose?!
My dentures are loose! I can’t eat with them and I’m nervous to talk or smile for fear that they’ll fall out. Does this sound familiar? At Dr. Victor Sun’s practice, he has been helping patients stabilize their dentures for years with great success. How? With dental implants - the modern approach to stabilizing your smile.
What Are Dental Implants?
Dental implants are small metal artificial tooth roots that are placed under your gums, just like real teeth. Depending on your individual needs, Dr. Sun will come up with a treatment plan suitable for your dental needs. There are different types of implant overdentures to choose from; they provide varying degrees of support and stability all much better than conventional full bottom dentures that rely solely on suction.
Depending on your situation you might be a candidate for implants to help stabilize your partial or full dentures on the top or the bottom!
Let’s talk specifics.
Locator Overdentures: As few as two dental implants in the lower jaw can help stabilize a full bottom denture. The caps inside the denture snap onto the head of the implants. This connection provides the support and stability to the lower denture. The more implants placed, the more stable the denture becomes! Since part of the denture is still supported by the gum tissue, there is potential for gum irritation. To avoid this, Dr. Sun will check the denture to ensure there are no ongoing sore spots on your gum tissue. It’s important to schedule annual visits for this reason so that any reline adjustments can be made prior to irritation occurring.
Case Completed in 2017:
Problem: Remaining lower teeth in poor shape, no bone to support a full lower denture
Solution: Remove the remaining lower teeth, place 3 dental implants into the lower jaw at the time of teeth removal, wait for the healing to complete, secure the full lower denture onto the 3 implants
Result: Patient can eat/chew/talk without the fear of the lower denture falling out. Quality of life has improved tremendously!
Bar Overdentures: With more implants, such as four or five on the lower jaw, a metal bar can be fabricated to join the implants together. The full lower denture then snaps onto the bar, creating a very stable base. This option is more stable than the locator overdenture as it sits exclusively on the bar. That means less gum tissue issues because the denture doesn’t touch your gums at all.
Case Completed in 2003:
Problem: Lower denture rocking due to lack of bone support.
Solution: Five (5) Implants placed in lower jaw, joined together with bar to provide stability to the lower loose denture.
Result: Stable lower denture stays in place. Patient can eat, talk and smile without discomfort.
Mini-Implant Overdentures: Dental implants that are less than 3mm in diameter are called mini-implants. Mini-implants are an excellent option for patients who have undergone severe bone shrinkage. Due to their smaller size, mini-implants can be placed in areas with limited bone volume to help retain loose full bottom dentures. A minimum of four mini-implants in the lower jaw are required to support a full bottom denture. Again, the more implants placed, the more stable your denture will be.
It is important to know that just like a conventional full bottom denture, an implant supported full bottom denture still needs to be removed at night and soaked either in water, a half water/half listerine mixture, or in a dental cleanser. And be sure to brush your denture with a denture brush. A well cared for implant supported lower denture should provide you with years of a stable smile.
What if I don’t have dentures but my crown just won’t stay? Can implants help me?
Yes! Many times implants can be used to support a crown for just one tooth. Using an implant to help replace a missing molar can be an effective solution. Additionally, using an implant for the crown will help to prevent drifting of the adjacent and opposing teeth - meaning fewer issues in the long run.
Case Completed in 2018:
Problem: Tooth loss due to fracture of the natural tooth. Patient could not chew as well with a "hole" on the right side.
Solution: One implant-supported crown to replace the missing molar.
Result: Patient can chew much better on the right side and the new tooth prevents drifting of the adjacent and the opposing teeth.
For more information on the benefits of dental implants and how you can take the first step towards achieving your newly stable smile, contact Dr. Victor Sun, DDS, at your earliest convenience. We can’t wait to meet you!