Denture Implants: A Better Way to Hold False Teeth

People with edentulism (i.e. total loss of teeth in the upper or lower jaw) are usually encouraged to wear dentures to allow them to speak and eat normally again. As helpful as dentures are, however, they can also cause embarrassment and discomfort, as they have a tendency to fall off or come loose. Dental implants are the more preferable solutions, but the costs of replacing each tooth with a dental implant can be out of most patients’ reach.

A more plausible solution would be denture implants, which offer a more secure attachment of dentures to the mouth. Similar to dental implants, denture implants utilize metal posts installed in the patient’s gums to attach the prosthetics. Unlike dental implants, denture implants need only a few metal posts to hold a full set of dentures in place.

There are currently two types of denture implants. Bar-retained dentures, as the name implies, use a curved, metal bar that is held in place by at least two metal posts installed in the person’s jaw. This bar then acts as an anchor where the dentures can be clipped on to.

Another type of denture implants is ball-retained dentures. With this, the implants on the patient’s jaw and the denture are connected using ball and socket metal fittings, securing the attachment of the dentures in the process.