Missing All Lower Teeth - Campbell Oral Surgery & Dental Implant Center

Are You Missing All Your Lower Teeth?

Living without lower teeth can be particularly difficult. But, many patients are unable to wear a traditional lower denture. It’s long been a challenging situation, but dental implants have provided the solution. Let’s take a closer look at three implant-supported denture upgrades we offer at Campbell Oral Surgery & Dental Implant Center.

Ball Attached Denture

You may not recognize the name because this method of providing more stability for your lower denture is more commonly referred to as a “snap-on” denture. The treatment involves setting an implant on each side of the lower jaw that an upgraded denture snaps securely onto. This set-up provides a good deal more stability and bite strength compared to a regular denture. However, it offers the least of these benefits of the three options presented here.

dentures on bar - Campbell Oral Surgery & Dental Implant Center | Columbus, GA

Bar Attached Denture

This restorative option is similar to the previous, but the number of implants increases to between four and six and there’s a bar connecting them. The retention clips inside the denture attach firmly to the bar for considerable stability and bite strength. It’s clear why this type of overdenture is considered the gold standard for snap-on dentures. Even so, it’s not for nothing that increasing numbers of patients today are more interested in the treatment below.

Screw Retained Denture

This is the most advanced of these methods and it offers the greatest amount of stability and bite strength for your lower jaw. The reason for the increase is also how this denture is different from the prior two: It is a permanent denture. In other words, it can only be removed by an oral care provider such as Dr. William Campbell. The denture is either screwed directly into five or more dental implants or into a bar attachment. The denture sits above your gums, so you can clean under it even though you can’t remove it.

What if I am missing all of my upper teeth?

If your upper jaw is missing its arch of teeth, we can help with an implant-supported denture similar to any outlined above for the lower jaw. Since upper jaw bone is softer than lower jaw bone, more implants are typically needed to secure upper dentures versus lower dentures. Sometimes this works in our favor by allowing us to provide an upper denture that doesn’t cover the roof of your mouth. This increases your ability to taste and judge temperature and makes your denture feel more natural. Good oral hygiene is easy to follow with these removable dentures.

Implant Retained Upper Denture

If the number of implants allows, your upper denture may not need to cover the roof of your mouth with a solid plate. This increases your ability to taste and judge temperature and makes your denture feel more natural. Good oral hygiene is easy to follow with this removable denture.