Many patients come to our clinic after having issues with their dentures. Unquestionably, if your denture doesn’t fit properly, it will most likely begin to dislodge and move around, making you feel very uncomfortable when speaking or eating.
The picture below shows the case of a patient who presented to us in a situation where she was particularly unhappy with her dentures, both in terms of functionality and cosmetics. She was frustrated by not being able to eat what she wanted, due to her dentures either moving or falling down.
Photo 1: The patient had most of her lower teeth missing, which made it difficult to support a denture.
After assessing her case, we suggested two solutions:
- A better denture, meaning a BPS Denture (Biofunctional Prosthetic System) or Swiss Denture, both top of the range precision dentures of outstanding quality that provide complete functionality while speaking, eating or laughing.
- An Implant Retained Denture (IRD), which meets the highest requirements of patients and dentists alike. IRDs are a cost-effective way to replace missing teeth, compared with BPS and Swiss Dentures, using implants to hold the dentures securely in place, providing a considerable improvement on conventional removable dentures. In addition, they help maintain the facial structure of the patient as they preserve the remaining jaw bone and restore lost lip support, which also minimises the appearance of wrinkles around the mouth.
We decided that the second solution would best meet the patient’s need for a firm denture that wouldn’t move while also not covering the palate, so that she could feel almost like she had her real teeth back!
So, after going through various planning stages, such as a CT scan, we placed five implants in the upper jaw and let the mouth heal for 3 months (see photo 2). In the meantime, the patient wore temporary dentures.
Photo 2: Five implants placed in the patient’s upper jaw.
After the healing period, we made a constructed bar with the locators shown in Photo 3 (pole stands), on both her upper and lower jaw, which allowed the denture to be accurately positioned and secured, so that it would not move around when the patient was chewing, speaking or laughing.
Note: Throughout the process, the patient always had a say regarding the selection of the teeth used to make her denture, to ensure the final outcome would tick all of her boxes.
Photo 3: Constructed Bar with Locator Attachments
The patient was ecstatic with the result, for obvious reasons. Her dentures also look excellent from a cosmetic point of view (see photo 5). Now, it is highly unlikely that anyone could spot that she wears dentures and she can eat whatever she wants, from apples to sticky foods, without a second thought.
Photo 4: This is how the patient’s mouth looks from the inside after the completion of the treatment.
Photo 5: The patient with her new implant retained denture.
To find out more about this life-changing transformation, which can markedly improve your ability to chew with a minimal treatment period, and let you say goodbye to those embarrassing moments caused by falling down or loose dentures, contact us here
To have your mouth fully assessed and find out if you are a good fit for implant dentures, book your first FREE consultation HERE.
Feel free, secure, comfortable and ready to smile with confidence again. Now, nothing is standing in your way!
Tags: dental implants, loose dentures, sameday teeth suite, sameday teeth suite nottingham