Dentures versus Overdentures

If you have one or more missing teeth, you may already have talked to the dentist about your tooth replacement options. Depending on where the teeth are missing and your health, the dentist may have recommended a dental implant or a dental implant supported prosthesis. Or you may have started to look at options yourself and reviewed dental bridges and dentures if you are missing most or all of your teeth on one arch. You are not limited to dental implants or dentures any more, the dentists are now able to combine both options to offer you the best of both.

Now let’s talk about dentures versus overdentures. Overdentures are a special kind of dentures that use dental implants to keep them in place. So the resin base that is colored to look like your gums with white false teeth that are the dentures are slightly different than overdentures. Traditional dentures rely on suction, adhesive or both to keep the arch of teeth in place. Those kinds of dentures need to be refitted and replaced every few years. The jaw bone starts to lose density and change shape as a result of no teeth roots on the bone. Dentures need to be large and tend to cover a large portion of the top and bottom of the mouth. Not only will it be more difficult to chew food, but it will be more difficult to taste your food when your palate is covered. You may need to cut certain foods out of your diet because they are not conducive to eat with dentures. You may find that you need to change how your speak or the words you use because certain sounds are difficult to annunciate or dictate clearly with dentures.

Overdentures remove many of the obstacles and difficulties of traditional dentures. Overdentures are help in place by clipping on to or screwing on to abutments on dental implants. The implanted posts are placed below the gumline into the jaw bone where they will heal in place. The dental implants will function like your natural teeth roots and anchor the overdentures in place. The solid foundation allows the overdentures to help you thrive. Your overdentures will not move around while you are trying to speak or to share your smile with the world. The overdentures will allow you to bite into that fresh apple or crunchy carrot without worrying that they are going to shift out of place. You will be able to taste more of the flavors of your food without the bulky dentures in your way. Overdentures help keep your jaw bone strong and can prevent bone density loss. The implanted posts will stimulate the jaw bone as you bite and talk and transfer force onto the bone directly. You will be able to keep the same facial structure longer without experiencing the sagging that can come with dentures.

Traditional dentures will cost less than the overdentures to start. You will only need to be fit for the dentures and then your costs will end there. But you will need to be fit for dentures again in a few years as your bone structure changes. Overdentures will require you to be fitted for dentures but you will also have to have dental implant surgery as well. It will not be as costly as having a dental implant for each missing tooth, but you will have those costs to consider. You should not have to worry about being refit for new overdentures as quickly as you would with dentures if at all.

Difference Between Implant Retained Overdenture and Implant Supported Overdenture