Implant Dentures

What are overdentures?

Overdentures are one treatment that Waterloo Family Dental offers to replace a full set of missing teeth by utilizing dental implants. Implants are placed into the jawbone below the gums  in order to replace tooth roots. This can be done either at the same time as the teeth are removed or after healing has occurred. Once the implants have healed, we attach custom abutments or locators to the dental implants.

Finally we make a custom denture called an overdenture that snaps onto the implant attachments. This type of prosthetic is removable by the patient for easy cleaning and maintenance. The attachments that are used wear out over time and need to be replaced approximately once a year to ensure a tight fit.

What is a Hybrid Implant-retained Denture?

Another way to use implants to replace a full set of teeth is called a hybrid denture. It is also called an All-on-4, All-on-X or a fixed implant denture. We use our cone beam and 3D scanner to plan the surgical placement of the implants and usually place 4-5 implants along with bone recontouring and grafting to ensure perfect positioning. After the implants heal, we make a custom titanium bar that will support the gum-colored acrylic and teeth. This hybrid denture is screwed into custom abutments that are attached to the implants we placed.

Removal and Cleaning

Hybrid Implant dentures can only be removed by a dentist with the appropriate instruments. This denture also needs to be cleaned around daily, but it is only recommended to be removed once per year and cleaned at the dental office.