Mesa Overdentures

Dr. Guffey and his associates can help you decide whether overdentures are for you.

Even when dentures are well made, there are some inherent problems with them. They rest on movable tissue, so they always move some when you eat or speak. The uppers are held in with suction, so they tend to be a little more stable. But the lower dentures simply rest on the gums, and they are held in place by your tongue and cheeks. Chewing efficiency is reduced by about 50%.

Then, over the years, your body will resorb the bone in your jaw. Since there are no teeth present, your body will take the minerals from the bone that it now considers useless and use them elsewhere in your body. Over a period of ten to twenty years, this results in a condition called facial collapse. With little bone left on which to rest the denture, it becomes very difficult to retain the denture. This can make eating and speaking much more difficult.

Overdentures are an answer to this problem. Overdentures are sometimes placed over dental implants. An implant-supported overdenture requires that implants are placed into the jaw. The implants bond to the jawbone forming an anchor. Overdentures are then created to attach to the implants, literally locking the replacement teeth into place.

Furthermore, the presence of the implants stimulates the bone so that it doesn't get resorbed, thus avoiding facial collapse. Dental implants integrate with the jawbone helping to keep the bone healthy and intact.

Some statistics regarding overdentures

Researchers have found that the 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.