There are almost 50 million people in the United States who have lost all of their teeth. Most of them wear complete dentures. An upper denture is usually a fairly stable and effective prosthesis for patients but a lower denture presents several problems for the average person. Lower dentures are generally very unstable and provide very low chewing efficiency. The treatment for the patient with an unstable lower denture is to add dental implants to provide stabilization, function and increased comfort. The problem is that many of these dental implant treatments are expensive and time consuming and just not practical for the majority of patients. The good news is that there are techniques available that are affordable and immediate in their results.

Over 15 years ago, I published some of the first articles on affordable lower denture stabilization. I took a fairly complicated system and distilled it down to a solution that worked for most patients who's finances were limited and needs were maximized. In about 30 minutes, I could place two dental implants in the front of the lower jaw and attach the patient's existing denture to these implants. The result was immediate stabilization with increased function and comfort. I have provided hundreds of these two implant overdentures for my patients over the years and have found it to be an extremely successful treatment modality. 

Today, we have even more options including the use of mini implants and small diameter implant. These implants can all be placed with a "non-surgical" technique which means there are no sutures and healing is in days rather than weeks. Mini implants are a great advantage for the elderly dental patient who is somewhat physically impaired and in a situation where minimum invasive procedures are indicated. Three or four mini implants can be placed in fifteen to twenty minutes and the dentures can be attached immediately. The patient leaves the office able to eat and function without pain or embarressment. Small diameter implants and regular diameter implants take a little longer but provide even better results. The costs for these types of treatment are very modest and allow access to almost anyone.

 Of course there are more advanced techniques that can be used but as we add more implants and more hardware, the costs rise very quickly. For those who can afford advanced treatments, the results are excellent, but for those who's resources are limited, these two implant or mini implant techniques work very well. All of these treatments are well documented on this site and if you take the time to look through the patient treatment that I have posted on the site, you will know exactly what to discuss with your dentist. I can tell you that in my office, denture stabilization with dental implants can be as affordable as $3500.00 for the entire treatment and it can change your life.

If you would like more information about these techniques, just send me an email or call Flora at 561-734-0505 and ask her to send you information. SRD