Implant-Supported Dentures

An implant-supported denture is an amazing option versus a denture because an implant-borne denture can either be removable or fixed, just depending on how much time and money the patient wants to invest in their mouth. Typically, these patients have a terminal dentition, meaning the teeth that are existing in their mouth right now are either decayed to the point where they can't be saved, or there's so much bone loss, there's nothing to hold any kind of restoration crowns or bridges, so all the teeth need to come out. Typically, they would see a surgeon for that, and they would be out unconscious, like IV sedation, teeth would be removed, and then they would place the teeth in a day. Where the teeth are removed, sometimes they'll place immediate implants in those areas or maybe in the areas just right next to that. And then they'll be able to hook a bridge or teeth onto that implant that day so they can wear that, they wake up, they have teeth, they look great and they're healthy. We wait about three months for that to heal before we start doing any kind of final impressions and fabricating their final restoration. So many variables on how long it's going to last because it depends on what type of appliance the patient is going to put on those implants. There are removable options that have acrylic on it, or there could be fixed options that have acrylic on it, or it could be a fixed option with zirconia. Acrylic tends to wear much quicker, and if the patient maybe is grinding or clenching or they're hard on their teeth, biting, pulling tearing things with their teeth that is a little bit rough, they might be breaking or fracturing things much quicker. So I've seen patients, you know, five years they're looking at replacing teeth on some type of fixed acrylic, fixed denture on implants. Zirconia tends to hold up much longer, and it's much stronger, and it's much more aesthetic. However, all those variables are up to the patient as far as what they decide as far as time and money on what type of appliance. So it really depends on them, what they've chosen, and again how they're treating their mouth and their teeth.