A removable implant overdenture is a denture that is attached or retained to dental implants. A regular denture rests on the gums and is not supported by implants.
An implant retained overdenture is used when a person doesn't have any teeth in the jaw, but has enough bone in the jaw to support implants. An implant retained overdenture has special attachments that snap onto attachments on the implants. You can receive an implant retained overdenture in either the upper or lower jaw.
An implant retained overdenture should be removed daily to clean the denture and gum area. Just as with regular dentures, you should not sleep with the implant-retained overdentures at night. Some people prefer to have fixed (permanent) implant supported overdenture in their mouths that can't be removed. Your Prosthodontist will consider your particular needs and preferences when suggesting fixed or removable options.
There are two types of implant-supported dentures: bar-retained and ball-retained. In both cases, the denture will be made of an acrylic base that will look like gums. Porcelain or acrylic teeth that look like natural teeth are attached to the base. Both types of dentures need at least two implants for support.
• Bar-retained dentures — A thin metal bar that follows the curvature of your jaw is attached to two to five implants that have been placed in your jawbone. Clips or other types of attachments are fitted to the bar, the denture or both. The denture fits over the bar and is securely clipped into place by the attachments.
• Ball-retained dentures (stud-attachment dentures) — Each implant in the jawbone holds a metal attachment that fits into another attachment on the denture. In most cases, the attachments on the implants are ball-shaped ("male" attachments), and they fit into sockets ("female" attachments) on the denture. In some cases, the denture holds the male attachments and the implants hold the female ones.
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