Quote:
Originally Posted by CFrance
Over dentures and snap-on dentures are not necessarily full dentures. My dento-facial surgeon has a brochure on the many different options. You could have one implant screw holding three teeth, two holding six, etc. OP didn't say how many teeth.
The temps don't have to be left in 24/7. I took mine out at night. In fact, I was told 5 hours a day was sufficient to keep the remaining teeth from shifting. After the implant screws are in, the temps don't even have to be worn if you don't want. I do agree if all teeth are removed, you would want to wear the temps as much as possible, but I don't see why it's necessary.
Have you had this done? Maybe someone who has can give an answer.
Implants are a great invention and well worth the cost, IMO.
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if you have all the teeth removed, you -must- keep the temps in as much as possible. Your jaw can shift - same reason why some people who get braces have to wear retainers long-term. If they don't, the teeth will try to revert back to their previous position. The reason for that is the shape of their jaw. Without teeth, there is nothing preventing the bone under the gumline from shifting. It can take a few months for the gums AND bone to heal before they're ready for implants. Implants are not typically put in the same time that the teeth are extracted. You do the extraction and bone grafting if necessary. You wait for all THAT to heal. Then you do the implants. You wait for THAT to heal. Then you make the permanent denture.
This process can take 6 months or longer, during which time the bone under the gumline no longer has the teeth to force it into any particular shape or position.
The bone will inevitably shift, possibly just a tiny minute amount. And that tiny minute amount is enough to make the finished denture totally unuseable.
That is why you have to wear the temporary dentures 24/7 except when rinsing, for the first few weeks - and after that, as much of the day as possible.
A member of my immediate family had it done. I lived with the situation for over a year.