If you are missing teeth, dentures are an excellent option for bringing back your natural smile. Dentures can be problematic for several reasons. One of these reasons is that, over time, changes to the gums and bone can cause your dentures to no longer fit properly.
If you’ve lost all of your teeth due to a dental condition or an injury, one option for getting replacement teeth is to get snap-in dentures. Snap-in dentures are more stable and versatile than traditional dentures, which have a greater risk of becoming removed from their proper position.
However, what exactly are snap-in dentures?
What Are Snap-In Dentures?
The problem of tooth decay and missing teeth may have a potential solution in snap-in dentures. These dentures are also known as implant-supported dentures.
Snap-in dentures, also known as implant-supported dentures or overdentures, are held in place by the gums and by either a few remaining teeth or by metal posts implanted in the jawbone. Traditional dentures are held in place by the gums alone.
Dentures that snap into place can be kept securely by dental implants or screws implanted into the jawbone. Depending on the severity of your condition and your budget, you may have as many as ten implants placed in each jaw. However, the average number of implants used in each jaw is between two and four.
The traditional method of attaching dentures involves creating a mold of the patient’s mouth and then using suction or glue to keep the mold in place. They should be kept in a secure location and subjected to the same rigorous cleaning regimen as one’s natural teeth when not in use.
Although they function reasonably well in most of the day’s activities, standard dentures do have several significant drawbacks, the majority of which concern them becoming loose or not fitting properly.
That can harm the self-esteem of many people who use dentures because they constantly worry that they will slip out of their mouths at the most inopportune times. Dentures that snap into place were developed as a solution to this problem.
How Snap-In Dentures Work
During the operation, dental surgery is required, and getting fitted for implant-supported dentures can take anywhere from three to six months to finish.
A surgical procedure to insert implants into the jawbone will need to be performed by an oral surgeon or periodontist before fitting snap-on dentures. The implants have the appearance of miniature metal screws or cylinders.
The bone will grow around the implants over the next two to six months, at which point they will be firmly embedded in the bone. The patient can use immediate dentures during this period.
A second operation is performed on most patients, during which a locator is attached to the implants by the dentist. These protruding pieces of metal called locators are attached to the gums and work as bases for the dentures.
Following a period of about two weeks during which the healing process occurs, the denture can then be attached to the locators. The patient can quickly snap on and off their dentures with certain locators, while others securely fasten the replacement teeth to the implants permanently.
Before you decide to go with this alternative, your dentist will be able to provide you with an accurate estimate of the cost, but you should plan on spending approximately $6,000 on the procedure and dentures for two implants. This price could be higher for you depending on the number of implants you require and the particulars of your situation.
