What Would Work Best For Implant Retained Dentures? 4 Mini Implants Or 2 Regular Ones?
Hi there.
I’m 36 and due to an accident I had years ago I already have a full top denture [no retaining implants] and I’ve only got 7 teeth on my lower jaw as most of them are broken, which I’ll pull out to have a full lower denture put in.
The thought of having 2 loose dentures in my mouth gives me the chills and really gets me down so I’ve been saving for an implant retained lower denture for over a year. I finally managed to save enough [£3000] to have the procedure done, but now I’m in a bit a dilemma.
All this time I thought about putting 4 mini implants to secure the lower denture but when I emailed a dentist nearby he said it’s better to have 2 regular implants instead. So I thought about asking a 2nd opinion as this is probably one of the most important thing to me in the last few years.
What do you think? 4 mini implants or 2 regular implants?
Thanks.
Definitely not mini-implants. This would only be a cheap and a short term option. For maximum stability and aesthetics for a full upper and lower denture retained by implants, the best solution is placing (at least) 4 implants in each jaw. This technique is often called ‘all on 4’ or ‘same day teeth’. You can use 2 in the lower jaw but it’s not as stable.
The same day procedure can be done so that you have the implants and dentures placed the same day – the denture needs a ‘reline’ adjustment after full healing a few months later but in effect you come out with your new teeth immediately. Costs vary from about £12000- £20000 per jaw for this process however.
Anything quoted lower than this would normally mean inferior implants and denture construction and far fewer implants or mini-implants which are universally deemed a risky and ‘temporary’ option due to high failure rates.
http://www.harleystreetdentalstudio.com/html/all-on-4.html. Hope that helps for now?
For this type of treatment please use someone very experienced – it may cost you more now but the long term success is really key and you do not want to be having more implant surgery again later and end up repeating the procedure several times. Good luck with it all and please come and see our specialist team in London if you need some treatment planning advice. Kind regards, Mark.
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