What is an Implant-Supported Denture?

Why Do We Perform Implants?

Before implant applications, these losses were treated with two types of prostheses.

The first of these was fixed prostheses (which remain in our mouths permanently and cannot be removed by our patients) which we call “bridges” and use healthy teeth as support by reducing their size, while the other was removable prostheses (which can be removed from the mouth by our patients, generally known as palatal prostheses).

Of these prostheses that we still use today, we prepare the fixed ones to receive support from the remaining teeth in the mouth, while we prepare the removable ones to receive support from the teeth and palate.

With the inclusion of implants in the treatment process of missing teeth, it has become possible to perform more protective and more comfortable treatments by making minor changes to these prostheses.

In addition, thanks to the implant, we had the opportunity to make fixed dentures instead of removable dentures because the dental support was insufficient.

Implant-supported dentures are similar to traditional dentures;

–Implant-supported fixed prostheses and

–We can divide implant-supported removable dentures into two classes.

Implant-supported fixed prostheses

Fixed dentures, as the name suggests, are dentures that are permanently in our mouths like our own teeth after they are applied by the dentist, and cannot be removed from the mouth by our patients for cleaning etc. reasons.

Before implant applications, we had no other option than to reduce the size of the adjacent teeth and get support from these teeth in order to replace missing teeth with fixed prostheses. We can still prefer bridge prostheses that we prepare with this method for our patients who are not suitable for implants for various reasons.

However, thanks to implant applications, we can prepare fixed prostheses supported by implants placed in the lost area.

What are the advantages of implant-supported fixed prostheses?

The most important advantage of the implant-supported fixed prostheses we prepare is that we do not damage the healthy tooth tissue thanks to these prostheses. For example; instead of reducing the teeth in front and behind the tooth to close the gap in cases where a single tooth is lost, it is possible to eliminate the deficiency without damaging the healthy teeth with an implant placed in the missing area and a single tooth to be prepared on it.

In addition, implant-supported fixed dentures prevent bone destruction by stimulating the bone structure as they ensure that chewing forces are transmitted to the jawbone with the help of the implant.

Thanks to these prostheses, we can prevent movements that may occur in neighboring teeth due to tooth loss, and prevent situations that may cause both aesthetic and functional problems, such as teeth tipping into the gap and gaps between teeth.

In addition, we prevent problems that may occur due to tooth loss, such as unbalanced chewing and inadequate chewing, both in our jaw joint and in our digestive system, such as the stomach and intestines.

How Long Does It Take to Make Implant-Supported Fixed Dentures?

The most important criterion here is the amount of bone remaining after edentulism.

If there is sufficient bone tissue, it may be possible to attach teeth the same day we place the implant.

In cases where the bone does not have sufficient hardness, we wait for the implant bone to fuse for an average of 2.5 months and then begin to prepare our tooth after the healing is complete.

If we have to use applications such as bone powder in cases where bone tissue is insufficient, this process can be further increased depending on the type of procedure applied.

How are implant-supported dentures attached?

We can fix implant-supported dentures to the implants in our mouth in two ways.

The first of these is the connection we establish through special adhesives used to bond the prostheses, which we call cement.

The other is the connection type where the prosthesis is connected to the implant with the help of a screw and we do not use any adhesive.

Both methods have advantages and disadvantages compared to each other. We decide which method to choose in our treatments by looking at the condition of the missing teeth and implants in the mouth during the planning phase, and then we determine the parts we will use and the measurement technique we will apply.

Implant Supported Removable Dentures

Removable dentures are prostheses that are supported by implant parts applied to the mouth and allow our patients to remove them from the mouth for various reasons.

When Do We Prepare Fixed and When Removable Implant-Supported Dentures?

In cases where only teeth are lost, the remaining bone amount is sufficient and the amount of lost tissue is small, implant-supported fixed dentures come first as the best treatment option.

However, in cases where there is excessive destruction of the bone and surrounding tissues along with tooth loss and we cannot place the required number of implants to make a fixed prosthesis, we apply implant-supported removable prostheses that are supported by placing fewer implants.

What are the Types of Implant-Supported Removable Dentures?

These are implant-supported, removable ball-headed, retained and bar-supported prostheses.

In ball-head attachments, the implant-prosthesis connection is made with small parts that are attached directly to the implant.

In bar dentures, the prosthesis-implant connection is provided by a metal bar that connects the implants to each other.

The type of removable prosthesis we will prepare is determined by the amount of remaining bone and the amount of lost tissue, as is the case with all implant-supported prostheses.

Which is the Best Denture?

Unfortunately, there is no correct answer to this question that we frequently hear from our patients. J.

The definition of a prosthesis as good by our patients is a subject that varies greatly from person to person. For example, although removable prostheses are described as not being very popular, the fact that the number of our patients who do not want to replace the palatal prosthesis used in cases of complete edentulism with a fixed prosthesis because it is now like their own teeth is much higher than expected can be considered as a good proof of how the concept of "Best" varies from person to person.

We can say that the most appropriate prosthesis for each patient who applies to us for the treatment of edentulism is the prosthesis for which we evaluate many factors inside and outside the mouth and decide on the type and design of prosthesis specific to each individual as a result of doctor-patient communication.

In fact, the best dentures are the ones we never have to make. So let's not forget to give the necessary care and attention to every tooth in our mouth.

Specialist Dt. İlkay Gül
Prosthetic Dentistry Specialist