Hybrid Dentures

What are Hybrid Dentures?

Hybrid dentures, or implant dentures, use dental implants to hold prosthetic dentures in place giving you a secure, natural-looking option that provides you with more comfort and relief than traditional dentures.

A dental implant functions as an artificial tooth root that is surgically inserted into your jaw bone to hold replacement teeth, dentures, and bridges in place. Once properly applied by your dentist, they will not shift or slip, but instead will provide constant, firm support similar to that of your natural teeth and tooth roots.

Before dental implants, dentures relied on suction to stay in place and often required an adhesive to keep dentures from shifting. With hybrid dentures, patients can talk, chew, and bite without having to worry about their dentures shifting or coming out. Dental implants combined with dentures can give you a full smile with artificial teeth that look and feel similar to that of your natural smile.

How does it work?

In order to have hybrid dentures, dental implants are required and often offered to those without teeth but enough bone support within their jaw to support implants. In most procedures, implants are placed and fixed with temporary teeth within a few hours. This allows for an immediate result and transformation for those who may have struggled with missing teeth or painful gums.

Often dental implants require a month or two to fully heal before you can be situated with your permanent teeth, so you will be given temporary teeth and dentures. However, having temporary appliances aren’t all that bad. In addition to the new smile, having temporary appliances also allows you to give feedback on what you like and don’t like so that your permanent teeth and dentures meet your expectations and needs.

There are two types of hybrid dentures:

Bar-Retained

In this treatment, a thin metal bar follows the line of your jaw and attaches to several implants for stability. Clips or other attachments are fitted onto the bar to enable a secure fit and safe removal for your dental implants.

Ball-Retained

Ball-retained, or stud-attached dentures, are connected to each individual implant with attachments that allow your denture to lock into each tooth.

All implant-supported dentures have attachments that allow them to connect firmly to your dental implants to avoid shifting that can cause pain and discomfort while in use. However, your hybrid dentures can also be removed to allow for daily cleaning of the denture and gum area.

Aftercare

It is important to remove your dentures at night and clean them carefully with extra attention to the attachments. Your dentist will check to ensure your denture is fitting properly and not causing any sore spots along the gumline during your routine follow-up appointments.

Attachments are typically replaced every 6 to 8 months as they will wear after constant usage.

Hybrid dentures can be applied to both the upper and lower jaw giving you the perfect smile from all angles. Contact Dr. Viet Ho Prosthodontics and Implant Dentistry today to schedule a consultation for more information about how hybrid dentures can improve your smile this year.