While dental implants continue to increase in popularity, dentures remain a frequently chosen option for patients seeking an affordable way to replace missing natural teeth. For many denture wearers, however, the discomfort and inconvenience is barely outweighed by their cosmetic and functional benefits. Dentures can slip and rub against the soft tissues of the mouth, causing painful sores and interfering with eating and speaking, and the messy, bad-tasting adhesive that holds them in place can affect the flavors of food and be difficult to clean off of delicate gum tissue. While they’re affordable, removable dentures lack much of the comfort and convenience of more permanent dental restorations like dental implants. Thankfully, developments in dental restoration technology have resulted in denture stabilization, an effective alternative for people who want a happy medium between the affordability of dentures and the stability of dental implants.
In a denture stabilization procedure, dental implants are used to hold dentures securely in place. Dental implant posts are inserted into the jawbone and then used to secure the dentures in the mouth. As few as two or four implants can often be used to support an entire row of artificial teeth, stabilizing the dentures in the mouth while stimulating the health of the bone that supports them. Dental implants are made of material that naturally encourages the growth of bone tissue and has been proven to be a highly biocompatible material that is well-suited for multiple types of medical implants. When dental implants are placed, they effectively become a formal substitute for a healthy tooth root, stimulating the health and continued growth of the bone that surrounds them. This helps create the long-lasting foundation that dental implants can provide while it prevents the dentures from moving around in the mouth and rubbing on the gums, and it holds the teeth in place to facilitate comfortable eating and speaking. It also provides the added benefit of preventing continued bone loss in the jaw, a problem that arises when there is no root present to encourage and promote the health of the jaw; bearing the forces of biting and chewing helps strengthen the bones and muscles in the jaw, and this doesn’t happen where a tooth is missing. When an existing denture is stabilized with dental implants, an additional attachment apparatus may be affixed to the denture in order to hold it tightly on to the implant attachment abutments and distribute force evenly across the row of teeth. Implant-supported overdentures are considered a permanent solution, and, once they are placed, they can only be removed by a dental professional.
One-to-one dental implant restorations, in which a single dental implant post supports a single dental crown, or artificial tooth, are the gold standard of dental restoration options. However, if a person needs to have multiple teeth replaced, the cost of these types of implant restorations can skyrocket and land in the tens of thousands of dollars, depending on the number of teeth missing and the materials selected for dental restorations. Denture stabilization, on the other hand, can provide some of the same benefits as dental implant crown restorations without costing a fortune. Denture stabilization can help make it easier to chew food thoroughly, which can assist with digestion and encourage a balanced diet. Stabilized dentures are reported to be considerably more comfortable than removable dentures, and they are certainly easier to clean; just brush and floss them like you would your natural teeth. Once dentures have been stabilized, the risk of oral sores and infected gums decreases, and the ability to speak clearly is restored. Additionally, the presence of dental implants encourages the continued health of the jawbone and helps maintain the appearance of the lower face and the smile. Stabilizing dentures also eliminates the tedious cleaning routines required for traditional removable dentures. Removable dentures need to be taken out at night so they can be thoroughly cleaned and soaked in a moisturizing, disinfecting solution, and the denture wearer must also clean the inside of their mouth with a toothbrush. Stabilized dentures can be cleaned while inside the mouth, just like the natural teeth.
In many cases, people can have their existing dentures retrofitted to accommodate dental implant attachments. The two most typically used methods of denture stabilization are dentures that are retained by a bar, and dentures that are retained by a ball. Bar-retained dentures rely on a few individual implants to support a denture, which is affixed to a bar that curves around the arc of the jaw and attaches to the implants. The implants and dentures may have additional attachments that help secure these separate components to each other and firmly retain the denture. Ball-retained dentures depend on small attachments to secure dentures to dental implants; usually, the attachments on the implants are shaped like a ball, while the attachments on the dentures are shaped like a reciprocal socket, though the reverse may also be true. These ball-and-socket attachments secure the dentures in place. The type of denture stabilization procedure that will work best for you will depend on your clinical needs and the features of your existing denture, and your dentist can work with you to plan the most efficient and effective approach to denture stabilization for you.
Unfortunately, some people who are missing some or all of their natural teeth may choose to leave the situation alone and not replace their missing teeth at all, either due to time constraints, financial concerns, or simply ignorance of the potential severity of the situation. Leaving missing teeth unaddressed is universally a terrible idea, as missing teeth adversely affect a person’s ability to eat a balanced diet, could affect the spacing and hygiene of remaining teeth, and can cause the bone in the jaw to deteriorate and the face to appear sunken and unduly old. Even if someone is missing just one or a few teeth, these missing teeth could cause the remaining teeth to become crowded and difficult to clean, which could lead to the loss of even more teeth if gum disease or other conditions develop because of crowding or insufficient cleaning. When teeth are missing, it also interferes with a person’s ability to comfortably eat and speak, and the combination of these aesthetic and functional drawbacks often combine to dramatically lower a person’s self-esteem.