What is a Locator Denture?
If you are living with missing teeth, particularly an entire row of missing teeth, an overdenture with locator support may be just the solution you need. It is more and more common for patients to face tooth loss, and dentistry is a burgeoning science with new solutions all the time. Overdentures have been a replacement option for many years, but having the durability of an implant support is changing the way patient’s smile.
What causes missing teeth?
Tooth loss is traditionally associated with disease, infection, or bad genetic luck. Many people struggle with regular dental hygiene routines, and this means infection is the most common root cause. When food accumulates on and around the teeth and gums, it quickly hardens and becomes breeding ground for bacteria. This bacteria enters the gumline, destroys the tissue, and causes the gums to weaken and pull away. Eventually the patient is either left with tooth loss, severe infection, gum disease, or a cocktail of all.
What are replacement solutions?
Teeth replacement is a miracle industry, wherein patients receive prosthetics that allow them to live their lives as if they had the original teeth. It is important to replace missing teeth promptly, because missing teeth beget further tooth loss. This is why having an entire row of missing teeth is becoming more and more common.
What is an Implant Supported Overdenture?
An overdenture is a replacement row of teeth which are superimposed on to your original gumline. They are customized and shaped to your original jawline, to allow optimum support for speech and chewing. With some adjustment, time, and a little confidence–they should begin to feel exactly like your original teeth.
The only downside to traditional dentures is the semi mobility aspect. Traditional dentures are removed nightly, and affixed using an adhesive. This means occasionally they become loose or ill-fitting over time. In turn, the patient feels less confident speaking, and enjoying their favorite foods. With an implant supported locator, a small dental implant is inserted into the jaw. This implant does two hugely beneficial things:
- It keeps the overdenture placed securely along your jawline-Protecting your gums and jaw, and keeping with the natural ergonomics of your mouth.
- It stimulates the jawbones underneath your overdentures- Another common problem with long term users of traditional dentures is the loss of jaw structure. Without stimulation, the osteoclasts and bones within your jaw lose activity, and eventually tissues breakdown. With dental implants, those areas are stimulated when you speak and eat.
Once the implant is placed, your dentist will take a mold of your jawline. As the implants heal, they will routinely gauge the bite distance to accurately map the correct specifications for your needs. You may initially have a set of temporary traditional dentures while the implants are created and adjusted. After the healing is complete, a final impression will be taken, and the laboratory will finish your brand new teeth.
Locator supported overdentures will provide you all the value of original teeth, and are also removable when necessary–thanks to the locator implants abutment piece.