Implant Dentures in Gainesville & Fairfax
When you’ve experienced advanced tooth loss or lost an entire row of teeth, it can be a stressful or painful situation. To help patients look and feel their very best following advanced tooth loss, our team offers implant supported dentures. These advanced restorative dentistry services allow us to replace a full row of missing teeth with greater stability than is possible with traditional, removable dentures that only restore those parts of teeth visible above the gum line. If you’re ready to put the smile back on your face and reclaim your healthy, natural form and function, call the Gainesville or Fairfax dental office of Michael K. Bassiri, DDS to schedule your tooth replacement consultation. During this dental consultation, we’ll review your case and help you determine whether or not you are healthy enough and have adequate gum and bone tissue to support an implant retained denture.
What are Implant Dentures?
Implant dentures are like traditional dentures except they are supported by four to six dental implant posts. Dental implants are small posts that mimic the lost root structures of teeth. Once in place, they fuse with the underlying bone and gum tissue, recreating the tooth’s roots and anchoring your denture. An implant supported denture will look, feel, and function very much like your healthy, natural smile, restoring as much as 70% of chewing function. This is compared with traditional dentures that only restore about 30% of your healthy dental function, limiting your diet.
Should I Consider Implant Dentures?
We recommend implant supported tooth replacement whenever possible. These prosthetics look, feel, and function more like your natural smile, and they can last for two or more decades with proper care in our office and at-home. While there are many benefits to implant supported denture treatment, no tooth replacement option is right for every patient. Some of the qualifications that make patients good candidates for implant dentures include all of the following:
- Relatively good oral and overall health to ensure the surgical implant placement procedure is safe and effective.
- No adverse past surgical reactions, including poor response to anesthesia.
- Adequate jawbone density and gum tissue volume to support the implant posts.
- Available time and money to complete the implant tooth replacement process.
What Can I Expect During the Implant Denture Process?
The replacement of a full row of missing teeth using an implant denture is completed over the course of three treatment phases. The initial phase of treatment is the preparation of the smile to complete the surgical implantation procedure. This may include tooth removal, bone or soft tissue grafting, and treatments to renew oral health for patients suffering from chronic conditions like gum disease.
Next, we will surgically place the dental implants. This treatment process involves making a small incision in the gums. Then, the implants are inserted into the jawbone. A protective cap is placed over the top of your implants to allow them to heal. Over the course of several months, the implants fuse with the gum and bone tissue, mimicking the roots of teeth. In most cases, we will provide a temporary, removable denture, so you will not have to live without a smile as your implants fuse with the gums and bone tissue. Once the implants are fully anchored to your supportive oral structures, we will attach an abutment and design your final dentures.
Once we receive the denture from our trusted dental lab, you’ll come to our office where we’ll affix the prosthetic teeth to your implant posts. Once in place, you will not be able to remove your implant denture. We can remove them during dental appointments as necessary to clean the prosthetic and make repairs or adjustments. We will walk you through how best to care for your denture at-home, but please don’t hesitate to ask any questions or reach out to our team to find out more.