These are often called “clip on dentures”
We get a lot of new patients coming in who hate their dentures. They complain that they cannot eat with them, they are uncomfortable, they gag when they wear them, and they are not confident with them in.
Luckily, at our practice, we have a simple solution that can greatly improve all of these problems! The solution to uncomfortable dentures is to place a few implants, and it’s amazing to see how these implant retained dentures can make a loose denture extremely secure. Our patients have often said it’s the difference between day and night.
The dentures work in exactly the same way—they are removable to aid cleaning and are clipped onto the implants when you’re done. Our clinic is dedicated to this treatment option, and it’s extremely rare to find a clinic that specializes in both dentures and implants. We understand the problems patients face when they have poor dentures, and we have the right skills to solve them.
The problem implantologists will have is that they don’t understand the traditional techniques you need to make great dentures. The techniques are very unforgiving, so if you make a small mistake, it can have big consequences on the outcome. This is why we have experts from both fields that work amazingly as a team.
You can expect to eat most things with implant retained dentures, but some things are unrealistic, such as biting directly into an apple. If you apply very hard pressure on the front teeth, the dentures can be dislodged, so at our practice, we would recommend you do most chewing with your back teeth. You should expect to get slight movement out of the dentures as you are chewing, but in contrast to dentures without implants, implant retained dentures are extremely secure.
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If you are keen to improve the stability of your dentures, book a free consultation and we would be happy to explain the different options in more detail.
FAQ’s
How long will treatment take from start to finish?
Around 4 months for the lower and 7 months for the uppers.
During this time the bone is fusing onto the implants. You can either wear your existing or we can make a temporary denture for you.
Will the dentures solid? Can I eat whatever I want?
You can expect to eat most things with these, however some things may not be possible. You will get some movement out of them as the option is removable and not fixed. If you want the best option where you don’t get any movement at all then read our full arch implant fixed bridge blog here.
How long will the treatment last for?
The implants should generally last for 15 years plus (however they do fail. Read blog here which explained why implants failure) and the dentures normally last around 7 years before they start showing wear and staining.
Are there any on-going costs?
We recommend you see the hygienist at least every 6 months. This will ensure the implants are kept clean and disease free.
There are also little nylon rings that grip the implants and hold the denture in. These wear out so often and need replacing. On average we would say patients come back every 1-2years for replacement. At the very most, the patients who want them really tight want replacements every 4 months. At the least I would say every 5 years. Each time they are replaced a £50 fee is chargeable.
Can I use my existing denture?
This depends upon how good the dentures are. The best way is to place the implants and then make a denture to suit the implants. We can do it the other way around but we cannot guarantee it will work as its not the best way to do it.
How much do they cost?
Typical fee’s are around £7,000 for 4 implants and a new denture
How many implants do you need?
You need a minimum of 4 on the uppers and 2 on the lowers.
We normally recommend you get 4 on the lowers as well because if one or two implants fails when you get older (ie 90 plus), you may not want to go through the surgery again. Its basically a fail safe for the future.
