Dentures are a common treatment option in the UK, particularly in individuals over the age of 50.
Patients ability to cope with dentures varies, most patients can manage with good appearance and functions, however the amount of denture wearers whose lives are made miserable by the movement of dentures, ill-fitting dentures or inability to eat properly are considerably more.
In many cases, replacing an area of the mouth where a denture would be worn with dental implants can offer a wonderful solution and at times can be quite simple and minimally invasive.
There are three ways to improve your denture.
1) Dental implants and a ‘press stud’ denture.
A simple method to improve the fit and function of a denture and in its simplest form involves a placement of two dental implants in the lower jaw, or four dental implants in the upper jaw with press stud attachments.
These can also be attached to conventional dentures in the top and bottom to provide much tighter dentures with much less movement. The improvement has been researched proven to be excellent for many patients.
2) Bar retained dentures (removeable bridges).
This can provide excellent aesthetics and excellent function for patients looking for secure dentures. This is generally provided with two or four implants in the lower jar and four implants in the upper.
3) Fixed bridge work
A step up from the ‘press stud’ dentures is the provision of a ‘bar retained denture’.
The dental implants placed have a custom bar constructed to which dentures can clip on to. The dentures need to be removed morning and night to be cleaned, and are very secure and stable; much more like bridge work, the only difference being, they are removed for cleaning.
