Full-mouth IMPLANTS
If you are missing all your teeth in one or both jaws, an implant-supported full denture or dentures can replace the lost natural teeth and some of the roots.
Advantages of implant-supported full dentures
Dental implants offer significant advantages over conventional dentures for replacing all the teeth in one or both jaws.
Not only do they look and function like natural teeth, but implant-supported full dentures are designed to last for a long time. More comfortable and stable than conventional dentures, they allow the wearer to eat very naturally. Because they replace some of the tooth roots as well as the teeth, the implants provide the jaw bone with necessary stimulus that makes it less prone to atrophy.
This isn’t the case when teeth are replaced with full dentures. As the jaw bone shrinks, the dentures stop fitting well and may require replacement. The wearer’s appearance also often changes, with the front teeth flaring out and the corners of the mouth drooping. Muscles may shift out of their normal position, and wrinkles may appear. The reduction in jaw height ultimately may cause the nose to point downward and the chin to curl up, creating the appearance of a crone.
Ill-fitting dentures also can cause the facial muscles to become tense, as the denture-wearer tries to hold the teeth in place. Mumbling, slurred speech, or clicking noises may result.
Implants, in contrast, let you speak naturally and confidently. They also eliminate the fear that denture teeth will fall down or pop out — and the need to use gooey denture adhesives to prevent such embarrassing mishaps.
Bar Attachment Denture
Over the past several decades, treatment with dental implants has evolved dramatically. For some patients, only four implants can now be placed and immediately used to support a fixed, non-removable, full-arch bridge. Researchers studying this “Bar Attachment Denture” concept have reports cumulative survival rates ranging from 92.2 to 100%.
This means that for many patients who are missing or about to lose all their teeth, dental implants can enable them to function normally on the very day the implants are placed.