For most people, biting into a juicy steak or a buttery ear of corn is a simple task. However, for patients like you with loose dentures, eating certain foods is a privilege you can no longer enjoy. Traditional dentures tend to loosen over time, interfering with your ability to break down tougher foods. Often, patients with floating dentures need to make significant changes to their diet, missing out on essential nutrients. Fortunately, at the Mini Dental Implant Center of America in Springfield, MO, we offer a more secure solution. Using mini dental implants, we anchor implant-stabilized restorations like snap-on dentures to your jawbone, providing an incredibly stable bite! With this prosthetic in place, you can eat the foods you love with little to no hesitation.
Why Do Dentures Loosen Over Time?
Natural teeth have two parts to their outer structure. The top half of your tooth (the crown) is visible above the gum line, and it helps break down your food when you chew. The bottom half of your tooth (the root) lies underneath your gums, embedded in your jawbone.
Similar to the roots of a tree, tooth roots anchor your smile to your jawbone. However, these roots also provide vital stimulation to your jaw, helping to keep your bone full and healthy. After losing tooth roots, your bone will begin to deteriorate through a process known as bone resorption. Without replacing these missing tooth roots, your bone will continue to shift and shrink gradually.
Bone resorption often leads to:
- Wrinkles around your mouth: As the bone supporting your lips deteriorates, it’s common to find the skin around your mouth wrinkling or sagging. Bone resorption may even leave patients with sunken cheeks, making them appear older than they are.
- Changes in face shape: While the change is subtle, your jawbone will gradually shift, altering the shape of your face. The longer you go without replacing your missing teeth, the more severe the difference will be.
- Loose dentures: While originally made to fit perfectly, traditional dentures don’t replace tooth roots, allowing your jawbone to change shape over time. As your jaw resorbs and your dentures maintain their original fit, you may experience difficulties with chewing and speaking, as the prosthetic slides around on your gums.
Thankfully, we offer mini dental implant-stabilized dentures to replace missing teeth! These implants secure in your jawbone to replace missing tooth roots, stopping bone resorption in its tracks.
The Stability of Snap-On Dentures
Snap-on dentures resemble traditional dentures in structure, as they also utilize a gum base for support. This denture base rests on your jawbone, featuring an artificial smile and mimicking your natural gums. However, Snap-on dentures have a key difference, as they utilize mini implants to stabilize in your jaw.
Mini dental implants are small titanium posts that we secure in your bone to anchor tooth restorations. These implants replace your natural tooth roots, both securing your smile in place and preventing jawbone loss!
During your free consultation, we’ll determine if you’re eligible for implant treatment. Then, using a custom treatment plan, we’ll begin the implant process by placing 4 to 8 mini implants strategically around your jaw.
Because mini dental implants feature a unique one-piece design, we’re able to place them in just a single appointment! Once inside your jaw, these implants immediately begin to bond with your bone, creating a remarkably strong connection.
In that same placement appointment, we can often secure your snap-on dentures to restore your smile in just one day!
Transforming Your Dentures into a Snap-On Solution
If snap-on dentures are similar to traditional dentures in shape and structure, some patients may wonder if we can transform their old dentures into snap-on dentures. Amazingly, we often can!
If your current traditional denture is in good condition and has sufficient space to accommodate your implants, we can transform it into a snap-on denture.
First, we’ll add the housings, or spaces in your denture that fit perfectly over your implants. Each housing has an O-ring, or a small rubber-like device that allows your implants to snap in and out of your prosthetic.
Then, we’re able to remove the bulky upper plate that most traditional dentures have! Because mini implants are secure in your jaw, there’s no need for the bulky upper plate responsible for suction. Instead, we free your upper palate and use mini implants to keep your upper denture secure.
Finally, we’ll place your implants (usually 4 on the bottom and 6 on the top) around your jaw and secure your prosthetic in place.
Stabilize Your Bite at the Mini Dental Implant Center of America in Springfield, MO
Eating your favorite foods shouldn’t be a hassle. If you’re struggling with loose dentures, consider using mini dental implants to stabilize your smile! At the Mini Dental Implant Center of America in Springfield, MO, we use mini implants to anchor snap-on dentures in place. These removable implant dentures are secure in your mouth, allowing you to enjoy all the foods you love again!
Book a free consultation to discover how mini implants can help secure your smile.
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