How Snap-In Dentures Stabilize Loose Dentures [Video Demo]

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the prevalence of total tooth loss among adults aged 65 and older in the United States is approximately 13%. While this percentage may feel small, it still means millions of people are going without teeth. Most commonly, these patients turn to traditional dentures for tooth replacement. But what happens when traditional dentures fall short of your expectations and lose their fit over time? At the Mini Dental Implant Center of America (MDICA) in Springfield, MO, we recommend using implant dentures. Specifically, we offer snap-in dentures to transform your smile, using mini dental implants to stabilize your prosthetic at an affordable cost.

What Causes Loose Dentures?

Traditional dentures need your jawbone for support, as they’re custom-fit to the contours of your mouth. This fit helps keep the prosthetic in place, allowing you to chew and function normally.

However, after tooth loss, your jawbone undergoes bone resorption, or the loss of bone mass and volume. While natural teeth have roots that stimulate your jaw and keep it healthy, traditional dentures can’t provide that stimulation.

As your jawbone shrinks and your dentures maintain their original fit, you’ll find that your prosthetic comes loose in your mouth. Loose dentures cause a variety of issues that affect your overall comfort and function, including:

• Irritated gum tissue
• Slurred speech
• Weakened bite force

Without the ability to chew their food and communicate effectively, patients often find that loose dentures affect their overall quality of life.

Fortunately, dental implants provide an alternative way to restore your smile.

By embedding in your jawbone, dental implants replace missing tooth roots and stimulate your bone. This not only keeps your jaw healthy and full, but it also provides a strong foundation for your dentures to secure to!

Implant dentures anchor to your jawbone and stay in place in your mouth. With stability that you can rely on, implant dentures restore your ability to chew and speak with confidence.

What Are Snap-In Dentures?

Snap-in dentures are a type of implant denture we use here at the MDICA in Springfield, MO.

This prosthetic uses mini dental implants to stabilize, rather than conventional dental implants. With mini implants, patients can enjoy a less invasive placement process, a faster healing period, and a more affordable solution to tooth loss.

Snap-in dentures are similar to a traditional denture in structure, but without the bulky denture plate that covers your upper palate. Instead, your upper denture uses 4 to 8 mini implants to stabilize, keeping the prosthetic in place while you talk or eat. And by freeing your upper palate, we free the taste buds typically trapped under a traditional denture.

Thanks to the special O-rings inside your denture base, this prosthetic is also removable. To remove snap-in dentures, simply push on the denture base until it “snaps” off. Then, after thoroughly cleaning your prosthetic and your gums, “snap” it back in place by lining up the housings with your implants.

While snap-in dentures aren’t the only mini implant dentures we offer, they are the most affordable. Because they’re removable, these dentures require fewer implants than other prosthetics, making them a cost-effective option for those on a budget.

Converting Loose Dentures Into Snap-In Dentures

Additionally, there may be a way to use your current denture as the base for your snap-in denture. In many cases, an existing denture can be retrofitted to work with mini dental implants.

By simply adding housings to the denture base and placing mini implants strategically around your jaw, we can transform your denture into an implant prosthetic.

However, our ability to transform your denture depends largely on its condition and size. If your denture is too worn or thin, it won’t fit the housings or implants we need to add.

But if necessary, we can craft you a brand-new, custom-made denture that is large enough to fit the implants you need for a stable smile.

Stabilize Your Smile With Snap-In Dentures in Springfield, MO

While traditional dentures are often the go-to remedy for total tooth loss, the MDICA of Springfield, MO, offers an alternative. With snap-in dentures, we can stabilize your denture prosthetic and keep it secure in your mouth for years to come. With implant dentures, patients like you can eat and speak without worrying about their dentures shifting. And in some cases, we may even be able to transform your current denture into a snap-in denture.

The only way to know what you’re eligible for is to visit us for a free implant consultation. There, we will help you determine if you’re eligible for mini implant dentures.

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