Are Overdentures Right For You?

Life without teeth can be a very difficult prospect since it greatly affects the ability of the individual to enjoy everyday pleasures. In fact, dentistry has moved from an extract first mentality as recently as a few decades ago to advising extraction of the teeth only as a last resort.

Unfortunately, even with the shift in mindset, the level of oral hygiene can be still severely lacking among people and leaves the dentist with no other option but to extract multiple teeth. They say that you truly realize the value of something once it is gone and it seems to be particularly true for our teeth.

Complete or partial dentures are still among the most popular method by which missing teeth are replaced. These dentures do not do anything to preserve the bone support of the patients in the long term and can be quite troublesome to use because of constant mobility.

This is where overdentures come in.

What Are Overdentures?

Overdentures are exactly what they sound like! They are dentures that are made over existing teeth or on dental implants. While overdentures on modified existing teeth can be used in some situations, the use dental implants to provide support to dentures is far more popular.

The idea here is simple. Dentures by themselves are not the most satisfactory kind of prosthesis for the patients to use. They may also not be fit enough or be able to afford implants to replace all of their teeth and go in for a fixed prosthesis.

Overdentures provide the middle ground by requiring less number of implants, being accessible to people with relatively poor bone support and improving the denture function so that patients can use them more effectively.

Who Are Overdentures For?

Not everyone who uses dentures will need overdentures but the fact is that a lot many people will benefit from the treatment. Here is how to check. If your dentures keep falling off while you are talking, eating or laughing then they are either not made well, need re-lining or just do not have the support necessary for proper function.

READ Fixed Prosthesis: Should You Get Permanent Dentures? (Hint: Yes!)

Find out from your doctor what the cause behind your poor denture performance is.

If your doctor has advised overdentures then a medical evaluation to ensure you are fit enough for the procedure is in order. To put it simply, if you do not have cancer, are not on bisphosphonates for treatment of osteoporosis, an uncontrolled diabetic or have recently had cardiac surgery then yo are more than likely fit enough for the procedure.

Of course, the doctor will take a detailed medical history to find out about any other underlying systemic causes that may prevent you from undergoing the procedure as well.

The good thing about this procedure is that the placement of the implants is away from the sinus in the upper jaw and the nerve running through the lower jaw, so most often no additional procedure needs to be done to augment the bone.

Even people that have a poor amount of bone for conventional implants are often able to undergo the procedure of overdentures.

Understanding Overdentures

What Is The Procedure For Getting Overdentures?

The treatment process involved in getting overdentures is quite straightforward. Your doctor may advise the extraction of any teeth that are remaining if they are in poor condition or modify them to receive overdentures if they are firm and have uninfected roots.

Most often the patient will have absolutely no teeth in the mouth and so a treatment plan with the number of implants to be placed and the position they will be placed in will be drawn up. An X-ray of the jaws may be ordered to aid in the planning of the implant placement.

The number of implants that are most commonly placed for an overdenture varies from the upper jaw and the lower jaw. Two implants are the minimum that is required in the lower jaw while four implants are the minimum that is required in the upper jaw.

If the patient is wearing older dentures then they can be modified into overdentures themselves, however, if the patient is not wearing dentures or has dentures that are non-salvageable then new dentures should be made prior to implant placement.

The surgery for implant placement is quite routine and done under local anesthesia. The doctor will likely place all the implants in one appointment itself and then leave them to heal inside the bone for three to six months.

The patients can continue to wear dentures during this time although they are lined with a soft material to prevent the transfer of excessive forces to the underlying implants. Once the implants have become properly integrated with the bone, they are fixed with fixtures that allow the overlying dentures to snap on and hold on tight.

There are different dentures with different strengths of attachment and the doctor will choose something that is tight yet comfortable enough for the patient to remove on their own.

READ What Are Flexible Dentures? How Are They Better Than Conventional Dentures?

How Long Do Overdentures Last?

The implants that are supporting the overdenture should last for a minimum of 10 years to be considered a success, however, they frequently last longer and may even last the entire lifespan of the patient.

The dentures themselves though will last for a shorter time than conventional dentures since they are being subjected to much greater forces than under normal conditions. This is also particularly true if the patient has firm natural teeth or a fixed prosthesis in the opposite jaw.

Conclusion

The advantages offered by overdentures are fantastic and can bring great improvement in the quality of life of patients. They should be explored as treatment options by people who are sick and tired of their dentures but cannot afford to go in for a full-mouth implant restoration.

The technique has been around for a long time, however, the reduction in the price of implants and the improvement in their predictability of success has made overdentures more accessible to patients than ever before.