Overdenture with Two Implants

The Story:

This patient who was in her late 60’s, visited her dentist because of her dentures were loose and kept falling out. She could not eat or speak comfortably. She had lost her teeth many years ago and the use of dentures had caused loss of bone over time and gradually less and less support for the denture. She tried using denture glue but she found that to be messy and just difficult to use. Her dentist noted significant loss of bone which was inadequate for proper support of another conventional denture. She was referred for implant placement to help support her new denture. Cost was a concern to this patient, so we discussed placement of only two implants to support a removable overdenture.

Treatment:

Under IV sedation, two dental implants were placed in the lower jaw. The whole procedure took about 30 minutes. After a two month healing, her dentist placed special extensions on the implants and made an overdenture retained by them. She reported that recovery was quite simple and she needed some Tylenol for pain relieve for about three days. Her denture is now quite stable and does not move during eating or from tongue movement.

Notes about this treatment option:

1. This is the simplest design for implant supported overdenture.
2. The design provides great stability of denture and prevents loosening quite well.
3. Since there are only two implants, some patients do experience ‘lifting’ of the denture in the back during biting in the front. This can be prevented by adding one or two implants to create a more stability in different vectors.
4. This method is effective even in patient with significant bone loss. A CT scan may be recommended to assess amount of bone for optimal choice of implant size.

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