Restore Your Mouth With Modern Technology

Unsecured dentures are an old-fashioned solution for people who have lost all of their teeth.  Wearing them can be painful, inconvenient and awkward.  They are unable to chew a variety of foods, which eliminates many of the foods previously enjoyed.  They also affect the pronunciation of certain words and sounds, affecting natural speech.  A variety of implant based solutions are available.

• removable implant overdentures that attach to two implants with snaps.  This cost effective option holds the denture in place, makes it easier to chew and doesn't affect the sense of taste.  The teeth can be removed for cleaning and the need for denture adhesives is eliminated.
• removable overdentures on an implant bar provide an even more secure fit, because three or four implants provide stronger support for the removable dentures, which still can be removed for cleaning.
• fixed implant supported bridges are a more durable solution for the replacement of natural teeth because they are screwed onto four or more implants.  This solution stimulates bone maintenance, restores chewing function completely, and maintains taste sensation.

Dental implants stimulate the bone and maintain the shape of your jaws and face, preventing the collapsed, overclosed "denture look".

Robert G. Tupac, DDS, FACP, Inc., Diplomate, American Board of Prosthodontics (661) 325-1275 | www.drtupac.com 5060 California Ave., #170, Bakersfield, CA 93309

Dental Implants "First Choice" for Lower Denture Wearers

The original McGill Proclamation, that the "first choice" for edentulous patients is placing two lower dental implants to help support and secure a lower denture, is now supported by research.  "Mandibular overdentures on two anterior implants provide significantly greater satisfaction, quality of life and better mastication than do conventional dentures."  They have been shown to be superior in randomized and nonrandomized clinical trials that ranged in duration from 6 months to 9 years.  Patients usually are able to wear an upper denture without problems but often struggle to eat with a lower denture because of its mobility.  As to cost, the McGill group acknowledged that implant-retained dentures are more costly than conventional dentures.  They noted, however, that implants in the anterior mandible are expected to last more than 20 years.

Robert G. Tupac, DDS, FACP, Inc., 
Diplomate, American Board of Prosthodontics
(661) 325-1275 | www.drtupac.com
5060 California Ave., #170, Bakersfield, CA 93309