Benefits of Overdentures

Overdentures are replacement teeth typically secured by dental implants. They hold many benefits compared with conventional dentures in helping people missing some or all their teeth to regain their quality of life.

Regular dentures use a plastic base to support synthetic teeth. However, they are only attached to the gumline by suction, which often makes speaking and eating tricky.

Overdentures combine the benefits of dental implants and dentures – the dentures are supported by permanent implants in your jaw. Many dental professionals regard overdentures as a better alternative to regular dentures because they give patients a more comfortable and stable tooth replacement option.

The implants that support dentures help to preserve the integrity of the jawbone and ensure the artificial teeth are securely fixed to the gums. This ensures less gum irritation, avoids the need for denture adhesives, and creates a more natural appearance.

If you lack a strong and healthy jawbone to support implants, a bone graft may provide the solution.

How Overdentures Can Improve Your Quality of Life

Overdentures provide a range of advantages compared with conventional dentures. While some of these benefits are cosmetic, overdentures can help to make you healthier and happier.

Overdentures can ensure you can:

• Enjoy the foods you love.
• Regain your self-esteem.
• Eliminate the need for adhesives.
• Improve your health.
• Prevent bone loss.
• Be more comfortable.

Benefit of Overdentures #1: Enjoying the Foods You Love

With conventional dentures, hard and chewy foods are often difficult to manage. Implant-retained overdentures allow you to break down your food more effectively, which helps digestion and increases the amount of nutrients your body can absorb.

Benefit of Overdentures #2: Regaining Your Self-Esteem

An implant-supported overdenture can give you back your self-regard by preventing deterioration of facial appearance. Keeping jawbone stimulated avoids the shrinkage that occurs in areas where natural teeth are missing. Furthermore, you won’t have to worry about embarrassing displacement.

Benefit of Overdentures #3: Eliminating the Need for Adhesives

Conventional dentures held in place with adhesives can easily work loose, and the adhesive can become messy and affect the taste of food. Implant-retained overdentures avoid the need for adhesives and the associated extra cost, mess, and hassle.

Benefit of Overdentures #4: Improving Your Health

Overdentures not only enhance the aesthetics of your smile but also improve chewing function and speech. All this will have a positive impact on your psychological and physical health.

Benefit of Overdentures #5: Preventing Bone Loss

Implant-supported overdentures are secured to titanium implants that fuse with bone. This process of osseointegration helps to preserve your jawbone – in contrast to regular dentures, which can actually accelerate bone loss.

Benefit of Overdentures #6: Greater Comfort

An overdenture attached to implants fits better than one held in place by adhesives. This increases stability and reduces or eliminates unnecessary movement during eating and talking – lessening the possibility of gum irritation and sores.

Are There Different Types of Overdentures?

Overdentures provide an affordable solution whether you have lost some teeth or all your teeth.

The use of implants to secure dentures is increasing because of the effectiveness and long-term durability of the procedure – dental implants have the highest success rate of any surgical implant.

There are three types of implant overdentures.

Gum-supported, implant-retained overdentures rest directly on the gums and are retained by implants in the upper and/or lower jaw. The overdenture, which is removable, is secured to the implants with attachments within the denture.

Implant-supported, bar-retained overdentures are also removable but have attachments on a metal bar incorporated into the denture. These attachments connect to the implants.

Implant-supported, fixed overdentures consist of a bar in a one-piece frame secured to implants by screws. This overdenture can only be removed by a dental professional. It’s the most natural looking, having no flanges and not resting on the gums.

Why It’s Essential to Replace Missing Teeth

The problem of losing teeth goes deeper than just creating an unsightly gap in your smile. Teeth are a key part of our anatomy, preserving oral structure. Gaps caused by tooth loss can have serious consequences.

When missing teeth are not replaced, surrounding bone can start to waste away. This happens because of lack of stimulus from a tooth root. Implant-retained overdentures address this issue because they form an artificial tooth root that fuses with bone and other tissue to become a permanent part of your mouth.

Missing teeth can also lead to a shift of bite pressure onto remaining teeth, which over time may intrude into the space left by a missing tooth. Tooth loss can also result in a build-up of bacterial plaque, which can result in gum infections and the loss of more teeth.

Just a single missing tooth can cause significant oral health and psychological issues including:

• Increased risk of developing tooth decay and gum disease.
• Shifting of remaining teeth.
• Further tooth loss.
• Loss of self-esteem, affecting your personal and professional life.
• Inability to eat a healthy, balanced diet.

Why Choose Overdentures?

Overdentures fix the problems of missing teeth with the advantages of greater functionality and comfort than traditional dentures.

Standard dentures fit over a ridge of bone and soft tissue, but the bone becomes weaker with time, leaving dentures little to hold onto. Implants to retain dentures provide a better fit and a greater degree of practicality.

Implant-retained dentures can be less expensive than individual implants throughout your mouth. They also avoid the need for dental adhesives and impact positively on your speech function.

Are Implant Overdentures Right for You?

If you want dentures that look and feel more natural, overdentures can restore your confidence and help you enjoy the functionality of a full set of teeth. The effectiveness of overdentures depends on the quality of the implant materials and expertise in the placement process.

If you want to take advantage of the benefits of overdentures, talk to us! At Sanford Dental Excellence, we specialize in dental implants and will be able tell you whether implant-supported overdentures are right for you. Contact us at 407-794-4162 or schedule an appointment today!