For well over a century, removable dentures have been the main treatment option for patients suffering from severe or total edentulism (loss of teeth). In recent years, however, the dental implant has been recognized as the best option because it can provide patients with permanent tooth replacement, and even more so as implant technology continues to advance.
But while permanent tooth replacement using implants offer more comfort and a better fit than dentures, they are more expensive, sometimes out of the financial reach of many patients. There is, however, one alternative for the lower jaw that blends the two options for tooth replacement into one. This alternative is known as an implant overdenture.
The implant overdenture begins just as a fixed dental implant would: we surgically implant two titanium posts into the lower jaw and allow them to fuse with the bone over time (thanks to the unique way that bone interacts with titanium). But rather than next affixing a porcelain crown to the post as we would with a dental implant, we would instead fashion a denture that fits over the two posts (hence the term overdenture). The overdenture has receiver sites that connect securely with the titanium posts to hold the overdenture in place. This ensures a snug fit with no slippage — resulting in better ability for the wearer to chew food and speak — and without the continuous need for dental adhesive. And just as with traditional dentures, you can remove the overdenture for cleaning.
It might also be an optimal solution for patients with severe issues involving bone loss or compromised teeth that make it difficult for them to support either a fixed prosthesis or a traditional removable denture.
This option does have some drawbacks: since it's still a removable denture, it can still move during meals and food can sometimes get underneath it, which can be annoying. Also, overdentures for the upper jaw require more than two implants because the upper bone is less dense; thus because of a greater number of implants, an upper overdenture is more costly than a lower one.
In the end, an implant overdenture to the lower jaw might be an optimal solution for you — financially and practically — to restore function from severe or total edentulism.
If you would like more information on implant overdentures, please contact us or schedule an appointment for a consultation. You can also learn more about this topic by reading the Dear Doctor magazine article “Implant Overdentures for the Lower Jaw.”