How Many Dental Implants Are Needed for an Overdenture?

[Mac]

Hi

I lost all of my teeth many years ago and have been wearing plastic dentures. I find that the lower denture is very loose but I dont have a problem with my top denture. To make the lower denture more firm, I would like to have dental implants placed in my lower jaw and have a lower overdenture.

I have seen different dentists who all suggest different number of dental implants for the overdenture ranging from 2-6. In your opinion how many dental implants will I need for a firm lower overdenture that is not going to become loose when I eat.

[Dr Mohsen J. Esfahani]

Thank you for your post.

To Answer your question properly, we would need to see you to assess the quantity and quality of your jaw bone. People who have lost their teeth many years ago and have been wearing complete dentures, usually have a lot of bone loss. If you have bone loss, you will need bone grafting/bone augmentation if you wish to have a dental implant supported lower overdenture.

Assuming that you have enough jaw bone available, you could have between 2-6 implants to provide retention for a lower overdenture. The problem with two implants is that should one fail, you will be left with inadequate retention for your lower denture. Six implants would provide great retention and support for the overdenture but would be quite expensive and one could argue its almost over-engineering. Also its usually difficult to find sufficient bone for six implants in a patient that has been wearing dentures for a long time and in many cases, six implants would probably need bone grafting.

If enough bone is available, four implants would be great because it would provide plenty of retention, support and stability for the overdenture. With four implants, should one implant fail the overdenture could continue without any problems and the cost for such a treatment would be reasonable too.