Difference Between Implant Retained Overdenture and Implant Supported Overdenture?
If you are the missing majority of or even all your teeth, you may be discouraged that you will need to cope with dentures for the remainder of your life. With a documented history of pinching, slipping, causing chewing and speaking problems, dentures can certainly be a challenge to get used to. Now, with new innovative technological improvements and advancements, there is an alternative to traditional dentures. Next are some comparative facts for both implant retained, and implant supported overdentures.
What Are Implant Supported Dentures?
Implant supported dentures will dramatically reduce or eliminate all the restrictive limitations of conventional dentures. Rather than just sitting on your gums, implant supported dentures are supported and stabilized by several dental implants, or tiny titanium screws, which are surgically positioned into your jawbone. These implants, now functioning as artificial roots, give your dentures outstanding structural support and stability, and will maintain healthy jawbone integrity.
Different Types of Implant Supported Dentures
Although there are slight variations between different manufacturers, retained overdentures and implant supported overdentures are available in primarily two types, along with a hybrid. The first version is the removable overdentures, called implant retained overdentures, which are designed to be removed from your mouth at your convenience, like when cleaning or sleeping. The second option is the fixed implant supported overdentures, or sometimes called a fixed implant bridge, which is permanently secured in your mouth, and are then cleaned and maintained like your natural teeth.
The principal benefit of the removable overdenture is your cost. A removable overdenture can be successfully secured and supported by as few as only two implants, depending on the anatomy of your arch. With this restoration, the denture tray snaps onto the exposed tops of the implant posts with either clasps or another type of retaining option. Since only a few implants with a retaining method are necessary, the cost will be just slightly higher than traditional dentures. Yet the increased stability, support, security, and bite strength are significantly higher. If the upper overdenture is supported by four implants, it can then be possible to eliminate any acrylic tray covering your palate, which it does with traditional dentures, which then improves the taste and texture of foods.
A hybrid option adds a metal bar to lock your implants together, which then enhances the chewing and biting forces distribution. This option of an implant supported overdenture will require a few more implants, so will cost a little more. This version provides even more natural-like stability so you can chew tough steak, hard candy, and other foods that are not recommended with traditional dentures. This restoration also allows most or all the acrylic palate tray to be removed, exposing your taste buds for your flavorful pleasure.
The last and more expensive but most natural version is a fixed implant bridge, or an implant retained overdenture. With this solution, several implants are strategically, surgically placed and then finished with a realistic and natural-looking fixed bridge that replaces an entire arch. The overdenture is secured onto the implant posts such that you cannot remove it, requiring your dentist to do so. You will brush this fixed restoration normally, and clean under the bridge daily according to instructions provided.