MR CRAIG MALLORIE 
Multi-Award Winning Specialist Oral Surgeon

Loose dentures? These could be a thing of the past. It is possible to have dental implants placed into the jawbone which the denture can click on to. These make them hold firm and would enable you to eat apples and chew steak without the fear of movement of the denture or embarassing avulsion.

 

The McGill Consensus in 2002 and the York Consensus in 2009 were academic expert panels who concluded that; "There is now a large body of evidence that supports the proposal that a two-implant supported mandibular overdenture should be the minimum offered to edentulous patients as a first choice of treatment". No longer should dentures alone be the minimum treatment offered to patients. Some upper dentures can be stable but very rarely is a lower denture stable due to the tongue movement and lack of bony support. The placement of two dental implants into the lower jaw, or four into the upper jaw are enough to predictably retain a loose denture. Often this treatment option is considerably less expensive than having a fixed implant bridge but has the huge functional benefit to the patient. Once the implants are placed either a new denture is made that clips onto the implants, or a new one is fabricated.

The use of denture fixative can be a thing of the past and Dr Mallorie has used this technique in patients in their late 80's who were sick of having loose dentures. Now they can eat whatever they want and have greatly improved quality of life as a result.