Victoria implant supported dentures, held by posts
Implant supported dentures put four or more posts under a bar, and the denture clips onto that bar rather than the gum. The load goes into the bone rather than the ridge, so an upper plate can lose most of its palate coverage. Dearer than a two post overdenture, and steadier.
In Victoria, a lower denture has nothing to hold onto
An upper denture can get some grip from the palate. A lower one has only a horseshoe of gum, and that ridge flattens year after year once the teeth are gone. No adhesive fixes a shape that keeps changing, which is why lower dentures are the ones people give up on.
Implant supported dentures change the problem entirely. The denture clips or bars onto them, so chewing force pushes against implants instead of sliding the plate around. Where you would rather it never came out at all, a fixed All-on-4 Implants bridge is the alternative.
Why the ridge shrinks in the first place is covered on Jawbone Bone Loss, and what an anchored denture comes to sits on Full Mouth Cost.
Anchored denture
How it works
Implant supported dentures, from loose plate to anchored
Assess the ridge
How much bone is left and where posts can be placed. Lower front bone is often good even when the rest has gone.
Place the posts
Two to four implants, usually a shorter appointment than a full fixed arch. Your existing denture can often be adapted meanwhile.
Heal, then connect
After integration the attachments are fitted to the posts and the denture is adapted to clip onto them.
Adjust the fit
A few small adjustments in the first weeks as you get used to biting against something that no longer moves.
Living with it
An implant supported denture still comes out at night
That is the implant supported denture trade against a fixed bridge, and for many people it is an advantage rather than a drawback. Cleaning is easier because the denture lifts out and the posts can be brushed directly. The attachments do wear, so expect the clips to be replaced periodically, which is routine maintenance rather than a failure.
If the cost is the obstacle, Implant Overdenture does the same job on two posts for less. If having anything removable is the obstacle, only a fixed arch answers it. What each option actually involves day to day is on Living With Implants and Full Mouth Restoration.
Two to fourPosts
YesRemovable
ReplaceableClips
Related treatments
Victoria options: fixed, or the clip-in cousin
The options either side of an anchored denture on cost and on convenience.
Victoria implant supported denture questions, answered
Post counts, eating, cleaning and using your existing denture.
Commonly two in the lower jaw and four in the upper, because the upper needs more support and often has softer bone. Two is enough to stop a lower denture moving in most cases. More posts give a firmer result and cost more; the scan and your priorities decide.
Sometimes. If it fits reasonably and the teeth are not worn out, attachments can be fitted into it, which keeps cost down. If it is old or has been relined repeatedly, a new denture made for the attachments will fit and last better.
Far more than before, though it is still a denture covering the palate or ridge. Most people describe the change as going from avoiding foods to simply eating carefully. A fixed arch handles hard food better if that is your priority.
Typically every year or two depending on how often you take it in and out. It is a quick appointment and a small cost, and it is normal wear rather than something going wrong. Loose clips left too long let the denture move again.
Meaningfully, yes, because it uses fewer implants and a simpler prosthesis. It is the route many people take when a fixed arch is out of reach, and it is a genuine improvement rather than a consolation prize.
Victoria patients
What Victoria anchored denture patients say
★★★★★4.9· 118 reviews on Google
★★★★★
Two posts on the bottom. It does not move any more, which was the entire problem for eight years.
P. Rasmussen
Lower denture, Victoria
★★★★★
Four posts on top. Adapted my existing denture rather than making me buy a new one straight away.
Q. Adeyemo
Upper denture, Langford
★★★★★
Clips wore after eighteen months as they said they would. Ten minute appointment, no drama.
B. Osei
Clip replacement, Colwood
★★★★★
Could not stretch to fixed. They were clear this was a real option and not second best.
L. Marchetti
Chose removable, Saanich
From the blog
Victoria implant guides: full arch cost, aftercare and healing
Stop a denture moving with implant supported dentures in Victoria
Bring the denture you have. A scan shows whether the ridge can take two posts or four, and whether the plate you already own can be adapted rather than replaced. Written plan and figure before anything is booked.
