George Washington's Denture
When all teeth are lost, dentures are used to replace the missing teeth. Dentures help restore the lost functions of chewing and speech and restore aesthetic appearance. George Washington is known to have worn dentures. His lower denture was made of ivory. His earlier dentures were thought to be made of wood. Can you imagine how uncomfortable it was for Washington to wear something like that?
Advances in dentistry and in dental materials science have led to development of lighter and better fitting dentures. Dentures, however, are uncomfortable to most people and intolerable to some. A small number of people can not tolerate any removable dental prostheses in their mouths.
For most people, dentures on the upper jaws are usually quite stable and comfortable. The upper jaw provides large enough area to support a denture. Dentures on the lower jaws, however, can be quite uncomfortable and painful. The lower jaw is much smaller; so the pressure per unit area is greater than that of the upper jaw. On top of that, the lower denture is always tossed around by the tongue, adding to the instability of the lower denture. The instability of the lower denture only increases as the jaw bone slowly resorbs (shrinking away) with time.
Dental implants stabilizing a denture.
Dental implants can be used to anchor and support the lower denture. Two (sometimes four) dental implants can be placed in the lower jaw and special attachments are used to anchor the lower denture to the implants. Some of the pressure is transferred to the dental implants, thereby relieving pressure and pain on the gum over the lower jaw bone. Dental implants, in this case, are used not to be restored with crowns, but as anchors for the lower denture. Dentures that are supported by implants are called implant overdentures or implant supported overdentures.
Although upper dentures are usually stable enough and do not need dental implants for anchoring, some people can not tolerate covering the palate (the roof of the mouth) and need dental implants so that the palate is not covered. Upper dentures get part of their retention and support from the palate. To have an upper denture without covering the palate, four to six implants are used to support and anchor an upper denture. If you can tolerate covering of the palate, four implants are usually enough to anchor an upper denture.
Each case is different so be sure to discuss your options with your dentist and read our disclaimer.
