Do you wear unsecured dentures? If you do then you may be well aware that while they provide an adequate replacement for natural teeth, they don’t come without their own disadvantages.
Unsecured dentures have a reputation for becoming loose over time as your gums and the bone beneath them recedes, because while the denture replaces the teeth, there is nothing to replace the tooth root. Lower jaw dentures in particular have a habit of becoming loose, because while the top denture has the roof of the mouth and the palate for support, the bottom denture has the tongue and the floor of the mouth, which are constantly moving and consequently less stable.
Because they don’t support the bone the way that tooth roots do, unsecured dentures can also result in the face sagging around the jaw bone, making you look older than you feel.
Implant-secured dentures remove these problems, because the dental implants (small titanium screws) are placed directly in the jaw bone, where they fuse with the bone and act like a natural tooth root. They also hold your dentures securely in place, so they won’t slip out at an unfortunate moment, and your ability to eat and speak won’t be affected.
To secure your dentures, we use the Bicon Brevis system of implants. Two implants are placed in the jaw, with a small ball on top of the implant. There is a built-in button on the base of the dentures which clips into the ball, ensuring a snug, secure fit.
Even if you have had unsecured dentures for some time and have experienced some bone loss, we will generally still be able to help you, with special short implants that require less bone density, or with bone grafting.
Implants are placed under local anaesthetic in a pain-free procedure. Your dentures will then be clicked on to the implants after a healing period of four months.
To find out more about implant-secured dentures, please get in touch with the practice today.
