This patient came to us with numerous missing, chipped, and decayed teeth. His goal was to be able to smile confidently, chew comfortably, and have something that would be easy to maintain as he ages.
We used our Acteon 3D x-ray machine to evaluate his jaws and determined that he was an ideal candidate for dental implants. In collaboration with his family, he decided to move forward with implant retained overdentures to meet his cosmetic, functional, and long-term maintenance goals.
An implant overdenture is a type of prosthesis that snaps on top of dental implants. The advantage of an implant retained overdenture is that it has the stability of dental implants, but can be removed at home for cleaning, and is easier to repair if it were to be damaged. It also offers an intermediate price point between traditional dentures and fixed implant hybrids (implant bridges).
Utilizing digital surgical planning software (Blue Sky Plan) we were able to plan six implants on the upper arch and six implants on the lower arch. Surgical guides were digitally designed and then printed on our SprintRay 3D printer. Guided surgery allows us to place the implants as close to the plan as possible and minimize the risk of complications.
Since he was already missing most of his back teeth, we strategically placed the back implants first and allowed them to heal. After the back implants healed, we removed the remaining front teeth, placed the front implants, and provided a temporary 3D printed implant retained overdenture. This allowed him to avoid an uncomfortable traditional denture while the remaining implants healed.
Once all implants healed we fabricated his final custom implant overdentures in coordination with Choate Ceramic Lab. These overdentures have a metal substruction for strength, pink acrylic to simulate gum tissue, and premium denture teeth to provide a natural appearance.
Now he smiles from ear to ear whenever we see him at his maintenance visits, he’s eating all the foods he wants to eat, and has had no trouble cleaning his prosthesis at home.
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Fantastic experience! Always up to the minute on new dental practices and technology. I was dreading the tooth extraction and dental implant. It wasn’t much worse than a teeth cleaning, in other word the apprehension was all for naught. And he can do procedures I previously had been referred out for. That’s a big plus in my book. I highly recommend Dr. Appel to anyone needing dental care.