Upper implant overdenture

How many implants are needed for an overdenture? What are implant supported overdentures? How much does an upper denture implant cost? How are dentures anchored by implants?

Upper Implant Overdenture.

When all the teeth in an arch are missing, an excellent treatment for replacing them is a denture secured with implants. The implants slow or stop the loss of jawbone that occurs when teeth are missing. The upper teeth on the right side have erupted to chew against the gum tissue where the lower teeth have been missing for so long. There are no teeth to chew with on the left. This is the same patient, with temporary complete upper and lower dentures, one week after tooth removal.

An implant-supported denture is a type of overdenture that is supported by and attached to implants. A regular denture rests on the gums, and is not supported by implants. Both types of implant dentures are better than regular dentures as far as comfort, convenience, and overall health go.

Once a person has implant dentures place they’ll need to take good care of them like with regular teeth. Based on differences in bone volume, density and other anatomic factors, preliminary evidence suggests that at least four, and in some cases as many as six implants are needed to retain an upper (maxillary) implant overdenture. Dentures worn on the upper and lower jaw are more comfortable: When your overdenture is retained with implants it fits more securely than one held in with only adhesives.

This fit also increases the stability of the overdenture reducing or even eliminating, unnecessary movement during chewing and talking. An implant-retained overdenture involves two or more implants along with a removable appliance. Dentists have said this is an upgrade from your typical denture.

These provide more support than traditional dentures, but there is more of a chance of getting sore spots. Also, implant-retained overdentures can improve your chewing better than a traditional denture. The implant overdenture is a cost-effective solution to complete edentulism and should be presented as one of the primary treatment modalities to edentulous patients.

This is a picture of a patient of mine without his overdenture in place. The inside of the denture looks like this. Minimum Two implants for lower overdenture and minimum four for upper. I still believe it varies with judgment of doctors. Since the fit of an upper denture is derived from the “suction” effect on the palate, coverage of the palate is a requirement for a good fit.

When a patient has a gag reflex, it is impossible to extend the denture appropriately. In this situation, an implant overdenture can be a significant advantage and a comfortable remedy.

This was for an upper overdenture with bar on Locators and lower on Locators. I buried all the implants. An advantage of overdentures compared to full dentures is that the roots left in the maxilla ( upper jaw) help preserve bone of the upper jaw, preventing bone resorption. Another advantage is that the sensory aspect is improved. Bars on the upper arch of the jaw need more implants than those on the lower arch because there is less bone density in the upper jaw.

Implant supported overdenture and telescopic prosthesis. There may be a metal bar to support the denture. An upper overdenture requires more implants because the bone is softer. Typically a full mouth upper and lower overdentures your looking at under $20while a fixed solution would start at the low $4000. The cost of an upper overdenture starts at $1000.

It depends on your budget, quality of your jaw bone, and overall health (smoking, medical history, etc).