Dr. Richard Parsanko owns Sonoran Desert Dentistry in Scottsdale, Arizona. Here, he explains how mini dental implants prevent your dentures from falling out.
When your dentures keep falling out, mini dental implants may have to come in. That’s because a condition called a floating denture sometimes occurs, where the denture is not held or stabilized. This usually happens in people who have been without their teeth for a long time. The longer you are without your teeth, the more the bone underneath shrinks, the less stable your denture becomes.
The typical candidate for mini dental implants is a senior citizen. Of course, if a younger person has been without his teeth for a long time, he may need them as well. The older the person and the longer he has been without his teeth, the worse the situation usually is.
Mini dental implants, marketed under the brand name IMTEC, are almost always a problem of the lower jaw. The bones of the lower jaw shrink faster than the bones of the upper jaw as you get older, so the dentures on the lower jaw are more likely to fall out.
The procedure usually takes one visit at about about three hours. The dentist first retrofits the old denture to fit the mini implant, which is the part that takes up most of the time, because they have to line up perfectly. Then the dentist connects the old denture to the jaw with the mini implants, which are little titanium screws. The little metal balls fit into a rubber socket on the inside of the denture and snaps down on it, acting as an anchor. For a few days after the procedure, the area is a little tender and swollen.
The information in the article is not intended to substitute for the medical expertise and advice of your healthcare provider. We encourage you to discuss any decisions about treatment or care with an appropriate healthcare provider.
