Bite Better, Eat Better: Dental Implants for Enhanced Denture Stability
Relishing food is about fostering a positive and mindful relationship with what you eat. It can lead to a greater sense of satisfaction and fulfillment during meals. Teeth play a very important role in breaking down food as we savor the taste and enjoy the texture of food. As we appreciate the fragrance and flavours of food that we chew, seldom do we think of the teeth that grind them!
Natural teeth have a strong and stable foundation in the jaw bones. The sensory nerves help in controlling the biting force according to the textures of the food. Removable Prosthetic dentures may not be as efficient as natural teeth, particularly if the supporting ridges are resorbed. Dentures move and shift when they are used for chewing thus reducing the efficiency by a sixth to eighth of that of natural teeth. "INSTABILITY" is the culprit! Patients tend to avoid food that are difficult to chew and may even end up facing nutritional deficiencies. With the geriatric population on the rise this is a matter of concern!
Dental implants can enhance denture stability and offer significant benefits. Implants anchor the dentures and prevent them from shifting and slipping while speaking and eating. This allows for greater biting force and improved chewing efficiency, enabling one to eat a wider variety of foods. They eliminate the need for denture adhesives and reduce sore spots caused by movement. Stable dentures enhance clarity of speech. This in turn improves confidence and happiness! A confident smile is a beautiful signature!
Implant Overdenture: Removable dentures that are retained by few implants. They can be used for upper and lower jaws.
Case 1:
Presentation: This patient had been a denture wearer for more than 20 years. Her primary complaint was that her lower denture was loose. She lost her confidence to face her friends and relatives as she could not speak clearly. She avoided eating with her family as she found it difficult to chew.
Condition: Severe resorption of the jaw bone as the patient had been wearing dentures for a very long time. Lack of sufficient bone for full mouth implant based fixed rehabilitation. General health was favorable for implant placement.
Solution: Two implants in the lower jaw in the front region to support implant overdenture.
Benefits:
1. Improved chewing efficiency
2. Improved clarity of speech
3. Improved confidence in public
4. Confident smile
Case 2:
Presentation: This patient had lost many of her teeth. She approached for total extraction and rehabilitation with removable complete dentures.
Condition: Good general health condition. Many of her teeth were extracted due to caries over the years. Few of her existing teeth were indicated for extraction. Some of her teeth could be saved. The lower jawbone was severely compromised in volume due to long standing edentulousness.
Solution:
1. Upper denture: Retaining the front teeth and replacing the teeth behind with flexible denture. This avoided metal clasps.
2. Lower denture : Retaining two teeth in the lower jaw. Root canal treatment of the lower left molar which had migrated and placing a metal coping for using it as a natural overdenture abutment. Extraction of lower left canine and immediate placement of an implant for overdenture anchorage.
Benefits:
1. Conservative approach. Minimal extraction. Retained good teeth. Retained benefit of natural sensation while chewing.
1. Minimal surgical intervention
2. One implant solution
3. Stable dentures
4. Excellent chewing efficiency and clarity of speech.