Teeth may be lost due to gum disease, dental complications, or injuries. Gone are the days of patients being unhappy with ill-fitting dentures. With the advancement of dental implants, you can now restore your smile with better functionality through implant-supported dentures at Lepore Comprehensive Dentistry in Dunedin, Florida.
What are dental implants?
Dental implants are titanium restorations used to replace missing teeth in various ways. These posts are made of metal and placed into the jawbone during oral surgery. Doing so offers a foundation for a restoration like a dental crown, dental bridge, or full denture. The most popular way dental implants are used is for fixed hybrid dentures. Fixed hybrid dentures are used along with dental implants, which offer stability for the denture. It eliminates the need for denture adhesives, as they are placed over the implants and are fixed and removed by the dentist.
Fixed Hybrid Dentures
Caring for Fixed Hybrid Dentures
With fixed hybrid dentures, patients have a permanent option to consider. The fixed hybrid denture is the best solution for patients missing all their teeth in a particular arch (upper jaw, lower jaw, or both) and wanting something much more comparable to their natural teeth. This implant restoration is fixed or screwed into place and can’t be taken out by the patient. The doctor can only remove it if needed at recall hygiene appointments. This is an amazing restoration, perfect for someone who dislikes taking a denture in and out of their mouth.
- A unique metal bar/framework is devised that is screwed onto the implants as a firm foundation and increases stability. The replacement teeth are set on top of the denture framework.
- Fixed restorations (screwed-in) give the most bite force and functionality back and can feel like natural teeth.
- It replaces missing teeth and stops gum tissue loss due to irreversible bone resorption.
- Less bulky material is needed compared to traditional dentures.
- Small spaces are left between both the gums and appliance to allow for proper cleaning—good oral hygiene is vital with dentures that are not removable.
- Implants stabilize bone loss and take the pressure of the dentures off the gums.
All about implant dentures at Lepore Comprehensive Dentistry explained by Dr. Ryan Lepore
What are implant dentures?
Hi everyone. Dr. Ryan Lepore here to discuss a topic that many of my patients ask me about – Implant Dentures. Implant dentures, to me, are the standard of care for a patient who has lost their teeth.
What are the types of implant dentures?
Implant dentures vary. Sometimes it may be just using two implants to support a lower denture. The dentures snap in and out. We call this a removable option. Implants, after being placed by one of our surgeons, it takes 3-4 months to integrate or become solid enough to support the force from the snap-in components.
So, the implants would be placed, while you wear your existing denture or new standard denture. They become stronger over 3-4 months then we design the denture to snap-in. Our favorite procedure done at Lepore Comprehensive Dentistry for implant dentures are the screw-in dentures or what we call fixed implant dentures, or hybrid dentures.
This is an amazing procedure that you may have seen commercials about referring to “Same-Day Teeth” or “Teeth-In-A-Day”. This procedure has an ability for a patient with a failing set of teeth or denture to have implants placed, a surgical procedure performed, and an interim screwed-in denture completed all on the same day.
You walk out with a new smile. After about four months, we start the process of trading your interim screwed-in denture for a more definitive, longer-lasting screwed-in denture that looks and feels even better and lasts longer.
What make Lepore Dentistry special about implant dentures?
What we do differently to other offices is the amount of planning associated with this procedure. I work with a team of the best specialists. I know during early mornings or late evenings that I have the opportunity to talk with them to intricately plan your case, well before your day of surgery.
We take the time to get to know your goals and desires to make sure that we can deliver the results you are after.
