Implant Dentures

First, the implant is surgically placed into the jaw bone by a dentist or oral surgeon. Depending on your type of implant and treatment plan, the operating dentist or oral surgeon will want the implant to heal for 3-4 months in the bone. During this healing time, you can still wear your traditional denture. Once the implant has healed in the bone, the second part of the implant can be placed called the abutment, which can be a metal stud or bar that sits above the gum tissue and attaches to the denture. At this time, the denture can be fitted for the opposing attachments that snap over the stud or bar. This process can be lengthy, but it is well worth the wait; Implants will make wearing a denture a more enjoyable experience.

Implants should be treated just like your natural teeth. Implants and the surrounding tissue should be cleaned daily with a soft toothbrush, and for hard-to-reach places around the implant, you can use a Waterpik or an implant cleaning brush. Doing this daily will help prevent implant failure due to gum disease or infection. Your dentures should also be cleaned daily. Dentures should be taken out nightly and placed in a denture cup with water and a denture cleaning solution such as overnight Efferdent tablets. After soaking overnight in the denture cleaning solution, take your denture out of the denture bath. With a denture brush, scrub the inside of the denture and the tooth surface, removing any debris or buildup. Then rinse under clean water. Cleaning your implants and denture daily will ensure a long life and fewer complications with your denture or implants.

Yes, although implants help slow down bone resorption, it does not completely stop it. If you start noticing food getting underneath your implant denture or your denture is rocking when snapped over your implants, this could be a sign that the bone surrounding your implants has receded, causing these issues. This can be easily fixed by doing a reline. A reline will fill in any spaces between your gum and tissue due to bone loss and stop rocking or food from getting under your denture. A reline will need to be done every 2-3 years to maintain a proper fit and function of your denture and implants.

This can vary for every oral surgeon or dentist, we do not place implants into the jaw bone in our office, but we process and fix any implant parts needed on the denture.  We can refer you to the best oral surgeons or dentists in the Treasure Valley who can help you decide the best implant options for you.

Taking your dentures out at night gives your mouth time to relax and decompress, but many patients that have implants prefer to sleep with them in because of the fear of the metal abutments causing sores or damage to their gums. If you feel more comfortable keeping them in at night, we suggest you soak your dentures for at least 20 minutes in a denture cleaning solution and brush them daily. We also highly recommend purchasing a night guard you can mold to your dentures to wear at night. This will help reduce unnecessary wear or damage to your denture while you sleep.

Absolutely, even the Highest-quality denture will eventually wear down, and if you have implants, this could be a little confusing on what to do when it’s time to replace your old denture. You may have moved to a new area, or your previous dentist or denturist has retired. At Premier Dentures, we can build you a new custom deluxe denture designed for your implants, no matter the type of implant you may have. In our advanced in-house lab, we can process and restore Locators, ERA’s, Mini or ball implants, hader bars, and many other types of implants.

These small pieces have different names depending on your implant type. These pieces are made of nylon or rubber and are known as sleeves, O-rings, riders, or inserts. These colored attachments snap around the implant attached to the jawbone and give your denture a tight, secure fit. Over time these colored attachments will wear down, and you will notice your denture doesn’t fit as tightly as it did when you first got your denture. These colored attachments should be replaced around every six months to maintain a proper and tight fit around your implants. These colored attachments can be easily replaced in our office and takes less than ten minutes to replace.  The cost per attachment can vary due to implant type, but this cost is minimal. For prices, check types of implants we process and service.

The average lifetime for an implant is around 25 years or longer if properly taken care of but Just like our natural teeth, a dental implant can fail earlier due to poor oral hygiene or other genetic issues causing the implant to become loose or ultimately come out of the bone. It is extremely important that your implants are properly cleaned daily, along with yearly professional cleanings and check-ups, to ensure a long life for your implants.

This is a discussion that you will need to have with your oral surgeon or dentist to see if you are a good candidate for implants. They will need to check the bone and make sure that there is enough healthy bone to place the implant successfully. They will also go over any genetic issues or health problems that may lead to a failed implant. If you are wondering if you are a good candidate for implants and have questions, our office is more than happy to refer you to the best oral surgeons or dentists in the Treasure Valley to see if implants are a good fit for you.