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Dentures that click into place
See the click. Hear the click. FEEL THE CLICK. Get stable dentures with a minimally invasive surgery, at a fee much more affordable than traditional full-size implants. Zero-percent financing is available through Care Credit Call or email today for your free consultation. 612-440-4867 or info@novadentures.com.
Meet Ed
3M has some pretty sweet commercials. Here's Ed, a patient who got mini implants for his lower denture and is now eating apples and corn on the cob.
BLOG POST: Stable lower dentures: Myth? Or small-diameter implant miracle?
By DeAnna Miller, DDS
I have a master's degree in theology. True story—Master of Arts in Theology, College of St. Catherine, St. Paul, MN, 2005. So I speak with authority when I say that only Jesus himself could keep a lower denture down without implants.
Sure, sure, we all know someone who—to hear them tell it—went to the dentist one day, had all 32 teeth extracted, was given a set of dentures at the end of the appointment, and was perfectly fine. Never had to go back for an adjustment, never had any sore spots, the dentures never move around on them, and they eat the same as they always have—nuts, corn on the cob, why, they even chew gum. And that was 40 years ago, same denture still today, never had any trouble, thankyouverymuch.
Those people are ridiculously blessed. Or they're really good at making the best of it. God bless 'em.
The thing is, 90% of people are reasonably happy with their upper denture—especially if they weren't all that happy with their natural teeth. The upper denture is really important in phonetics (speaking) and aesthetics (appearance). So get a lab technician with an artistic eye who loves what they do, and you can end up with a damn fine smile again that lets you speak clearly.
But 90% of people hate their lower denture. Hate it. Haaaaaaate it. The lower denture is really important in occlusion (how everything fits together when you close your teeth together) and function (chewing!). These are the most challenging tasks we ask of pink and white plastic. Every dentist has heard of the (possibly apocryphal) dentist who would tell his patients that the upper denture cost twice what the actual fee was—“and the lower is free.” That way, when they hated the lower, he could say, “Well, yeah, what did you expect for free?”
I wrote before about why lower dentures are so challenging. See the blog post "Why do my dentures taste bad? Part II" for more information.
What can we do about a loose lower denture? The ideal solution—the Cadillac, the Porsche, the Rolls-Royce option—is grafting bone where necessary, then placing a mouthful of titanium implants and restoring them with crowns made from a gorgeous high-glass porcelain. Dazzling, Hollywood smile, as strong as anything you can imagine, and the closest we can get to natural, healthy teeth.
But it'll cost you about as much as a Cadillac, a Porsche, and a Rolls-Royce.
What can we do about a loose lower denture if you're more of the mid-sized Chevy buyer? You might be an excellent candidate for “mini” or “small-diameter” implants. A mini implant is a titanium screw that has what looks just like a hitch ball on top.
We place usually four to six of these in your jaw bone and install a housing with an O-ring in your denture. Then the denture can then snap over the hitch balls into place. The entire denture is stable and secure, but easy enough to remove at night.
The advantage to minis is that because they're narrower and because they are only being used to snap-load and stabilize a denture, they don't usually require bone grafting or invasive surgery. The denture still shoulders all the chewing force; the mini implants just keep the denture from moving around. Also, mini implants are usually one piece, with no fancy porcelain tooth on top. This means the parts and the procedures have a much lower fee than traditional implants.
Are you tired of loose dentures? Call us today to schedule your free consultation! 612-440-4867