Is It Too Late for Dental Implants If I’ve Worn Dentures for 17 Years?

Posted by AllSmiles

Is it too late for dental implants if I’ve worn dentures for 17 years? What can I expect from the procedure? Thanks. Lucas

Lucas,

Wearing dentures for years will not prevent you from getting implant dentures.

Can You Get Dentures After Wearing Dental Implants for Years?

You can get dental implants after wearing dentures for decades. However, the longer you wear dentures, the more complex your dental implant procedure will become. When all your teeth are missing, they can no longer stimulate and preserve your jawbone. As the jawbone shrinks, your facial muscles will begin to sag.

Getting dental implants often requires bone grafting procedures to ensure they have enough support. Your dentist or oral surgeon may use bone harvested from your body, such as the hip, or the dentist may recommend donor, bovine, or artificial bone.

The All-on-4 or All-on-6 procedure is an alternative to bone grafting. The procedure angles the rear implants in the jawbone to help prevent displacement.

We recommend consulting a skilled implant dentist with post-graduate training in implantology. Otherwise, a dentist with implant denture experience can refer you to an oral surgeon. Ensure that you visit the dentist before the oral surgeon. They can coordinate your care so the dentist provides dentures that fit your mouth and bite. The surgeon will use a surgical guide to place the implants based on the dentist’s plans for your denture placement. After an exam and CT scan, the surgeon will explain your implants and bone grafting options.

Your implant dentures will be stable and look and feel more like natural teeth.

Rocky Hill, CT, dentist Dr. Thaddeus Michalski sponsors this post.