Implant Dentures — Dumfries, VA
Achieve the Strong, Stable Smile You Deserve
At Oral & Facial Surgery Center of Virginia, we understand that missing even one tooth can have a substantial impact on your quality of life. That’s why we offer state-of-the-art dental implants, which are widely considered the gold standard of tooth replacement. These versatile restorations can be used to replace any number of teeth, including entire arches. If you’re missing all your teeth or wear a traditional removable denture, then we recommend implant dentures in Dumfries. Combining dentures and dental implants will help you achieve the strong, stable smile you deserve. Give us a call today to see if implant dentures are right for you.
What Are Implant Dentures?
Implant dentures, like removable dentures, feature a custom-made, gum-colored base that’s set with a set of lifelike replacement teeth. The key difference is how the denture is set in the mouth. While traditional dentures rely on metal clasps or suction to stay in place, implant dentures are stabilized by an artificial root system of dental implants. Depending on your needs and preferences, we’ll recommend one of the two following types of implant dentures:
Fixed/ Permanent Implant Dentures
A fixed implant denture is designed to stay securely in your mouth, only to be removed by a dentist. You’ll wear them 24 hours a day, seven days a week as you talk, eat, and go about your day. During your routine checkups, we’ll remove your denture to have it cleaned and inspected.
Removable Implant Dentures
Alternatively, a removable implant denture may be a better fit for you. These implant dentures snap onto and off of the dental implants in your mouth. This allows patients to take out their dentures for easy routine cleaning. They also typically require fewer dental implants.
The Implant Denture Procedure
First, we’ll meet with you to ensure that implant dentures are a good choice for you. We’ll also determine if you need any preliminary procedures such as a bone graft. Then, we’ll perform your dental implant placement surgery right here in-office. Once the four to six dental implants have been placed, you’ll return home to rest. It will take several months for osseointegration to complete and for your dental implants to fuse with your jawbone. Finally, you’ll return to our office to have your custom-made denture anchored in place.
Am I a Candidate for Implant Dentures?
Most patients are considered good candidates for implant dentures! To qualify, you’ll need:
- Good overall health: You need to be well enough to undergo minor oral surgery.
- Great oral health: Any problems like cavities or gum disease will need to be treated beforehand.
- Adequate jawbone density: If your jaw isn’t strong enough to support dental implants, a preliminary bone graft or sinus lift may be able to help.
Benefits of Combining Dentures & Dental Implants
Implant dentures offer a vast number of improvements to your quality of life that you simply can’t get with traditional removable dentures. They offer benefits like:
- No slipping, clicking, or popping out of place
- Restored ability to eat apples, nuts, steak, and more
- Root replacement, which prevents jawbone deterioration and further tooth loss
- Improved oral health and overall health
- Potential to last a lifetime, saving you thousands on replacements alone