Dentures (also known as false teeth) are prosthetic devices constructed to replace missing teeth, and which are supported by surrounding soft and hard tissues of the oral cavity. Conventional dentures are removable, however there are many different denture designs, some which rely on bonding or clasping onto teeth or dental implants. There are two main categories of dentures, depending on whether they are used to replace missing teeth on the mandibular arch or the maxillary arch.
Overdentures are dentures which derive their support from one or abutment teeth by completely enveloping them beneath the fitting surface. The abutment teeth are usually root filled and either simply reduced or used in conjunction with stud or bar precision attachments. For both of these situations two techniques of impression taking are used. When the teeth are already root filled and will later be reduced it is termed an immediate overdenture. An impression of the root filled teeth, prior to reduction, is taken in alginate or elastomer in a special tray. The impression is cast and the abutment teeth on the model are reduced in height by 4mm and the dentures are constructed around this. When the processed denture is fitted, it is relined with cold cured acrylic in the areas around the abutment teeth to make it fit as well as possible.
Implant-placed overdentures lock the denture in place, providing people with the peace of mind that their dentures will not slip when they speak or eat in public.
The enticing aroma of a thick, juicy steak was a temptation Marvin Goodwin oftentimes avoided because his dentures made the meat difficult to chew. Now that he's had implants placed to support his denture, he is no longer cautious of the foods he eats.
In a new study that printed in the Journal of Periodontology, researchers found that the cumulative survival rate of implant-placed overdentures was 95.4 percent for 10 years. The success rate for the maxilla (upper jaw) implant supporting overdentures was 87.3 percent and the mandible (lower jaw) was 99.5 percent.
An implant-supported overdenture requires that implants are placed into the jaw. The implants bond to the jawbone forming an anchor. Full bridges or dentures are created to attach to the implants, literally locking the teeth replacement into place. "Even though my partials fit, they were often uncomfortable and had a tendency to move when I talked or ate," explained Goodwin. "I can now enjoy eating food - especially steak because my teeth do not move."
The overall rate of edentulism for adults 18 and older is nearly 10 percent. This rate increases with age so that about 33 percent of those 65 and older are without teeth according to the Surgeon General's Report on Oral Health.
