2 or 4 Dental Implants for Snap-on-Dentures? How to Decide? 

Glad you learned some new stuff! Snap on implants don’t need as much time for the implants to heal as compared to other implant treatments. This is because these implants are not used to crush food, only to stabilize your dentures. I usually recommend waiting about a month or so, although it can be done sooner, before you use the implants to lock in the teeth. This is a lot quicker than all on 4 teeth, which usually needs 3 to 6 months before you can start using the implants.

Good luck Nikki! Be sure to check out my video on does and don'ts after your implant surgery: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE--izhfIqT50Q.html

Glad you enjoyed it! I practice in Southern California. Good luck to you and your smile!

Hi Will. It's super easy to replace the O-rings. You need a hooked device to remove the O-rings and a blunt instrument to push the new ones in. There's a special device for it, but a handy man could probably do it themselves. Typically, if you go back to the dentist who originally did your snap-ons, they'll charge you a reasonable replacement fee (a couple of hundred bucks). If you go to a new dentist they may charge you a high fee, plus they may struggle finding the correct O-ring size (there's different sizes for different systems). It's not a bad idea to purchase a handful of extra O-rings from your dentist and keep them for future replacements. Good luck with your treatment!

That is an excellent option. 2 upper implants to stabilize the upper denture, and 3 lower implants so that the tongue can't move the denture around. Probably the best bang for your buck. So long as you are okay with the roof of your mouth being covered with the upper denture.

Hi Melanie. Did they fix your locators? The more locators, the more complex the fitting. If the fit is even altered a tiny bit, it throws everything off. Let me know if your dentist runs into any issues and I''ll make some recommendations.

Hi Elaine. Bone graft from the hips is extremely effective. If successful, you should be eligible for any sort of dental implant treatment, including snap on dentures, all on 4, as well as full mouth dental implants. Of course, the healing process is typically much, much longer than 5 weeks. How long did your dentist instruct you to wait for receiving the dental implants?

Thank you for your compliment! Taking a complete guess, I’d say you’re on the right track with your decision. Just be sure to ask your dentist to place the lower implants as far apart as possible to improve their retention. Good luck!

Thank you so much for your reply and advice!

Interesting!

Hi Nancy. Great questions! Here are the answers you're seeking: Is it the full dentures that are the problem or is there something else going on? I made a video that explains what makes someone a good denture wearer or not. Check it out: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-amk26LYyoHU.html Could you use your existing full dentures as a temporary while you're getting dental implant treatment? Sure you can! In fact, this is very common. All your dentist has to do is put a few holes in the denture where the implants are going to be placed. What I do is place the dental implants, then I insert the denture with some putty and have the patient bite down. When I remove the dentures from the mouth I can see exactly where the implant is located on the putty. I then place holes in the denture correlating to where the denture is and the patient can use the denture as a removable prosthesis. Alternatively, I can use special abutments and lock the dentures into the implants right away. This latter option is referred to as teeth in a day. Not every dentist offers teeth in a day, and not every patient is a candidate. But for those who are, it does make life easy during the healing process as they have a fixed set of dentures in place as opposed to a loose denture! Should I do implant treatment for the top first and then a few years later do the bottom ones? No, you should not. Do them both together. First off, going through this process two times is a nightmare time two! Secondly, you don't get nearly as good a results if you only do one arch at a time. I did this once or twice and we had nothing but issues the whole time. Lastly, if you have one set of teeth that is stable and one that is loose, it only magnifies the problem. The loose denture set feels that much looser when it chews against the more stable set of teeth. I would try to finance the entire treatment and come up with a way to do both arches together. Hope this answers your questions. Best of luck with your treatment!

Hi there. I wouldn't advise having snap-on-dentures on the bottom and permanent teeth on the top. You never want "fixed teeth" to oppose "removable teeth". It creates for a very poor bite relationship and the constant dislodging of your denture teeth. Snap-on-dentures against snap-on-dentures is great. Snap-on-dentures against regular dentures is perfectly fine. Snap-on-dentures against natural teeth or fixed full implants, or all-on-four implants, is not a good idea. The snap-on-denture will be loose and mobile. They are also likely to break within a few years due to the added stress. If you're going for fixed teeth, do it on both arches. Otherwise, stick with dentures on both arches. Do not mix and match fixed and removable teeth! Hope this helps, and best of luck with your treatment.

@@johnjazayeri thank you very much on your feedback , please i have one last question , my dentist used locater fixed implants which i do not know anything about this type of implants; what i do know is i was charged the same amount of money if i gotten regular implants from another dentist. thank you again DR .

Hi Kyle. I think you're thinking down the right path. I would absolutely favor 2 dental implants over a denture, snap-on dentures, or even a bridge. I know on paper it might sound better to just spend the money and get a denture to fill in all the gaps and be done with it. In reality, dental implants give you the missing teeth back whereas dentures only fill in the gaps and often times damage your remaining teeth over time. I recommend that you get 2 dental implants now, or even one if that's all you can afford, and then get the 3rd and 4th implant within a few years. Long-term, you're always better off getting the best treatment for your mouth. Especially if you're younger, like in your 20s, 30s, or even 40s. Snap-on dentures are best reserved for people who are missing more than 4 teeth, like 10 or 15 missing teeth, or all of their teeth. The only remaining question is which implants to start off with? I would probably go with the ones that are more cosmetic in the front or the ones that are going to be most effective in improving your chewing ability. Feel free to post your X-ray if you need further guidance. Good luck with your treatment and with college!

@@johnjazayeri Thanks for your Response, I appreciate it. I am 32. Have full upper and Lower dentures at moment done by my local School of dentistry ( all teeth pulled and work done 1 year ago), But I am not happy with the result. I just wanted to start with 2 implants to hold these dentures in better. I want to have 4 on top and bottom by time I Graduate. Just hoping that starting with 2 implants on top and bottom will be better than the glue is now.

Hi again Kyle. Well, that's a totally different scenario than the one I had understood. I would suggest that you focus on the looser denture. If the lower is very loose, as is often the case, then add 2 or 4 implants to support it. The same can be said of the top. It is quite a bit of a headache adding 2 implants now and then 2 more in the future. I would probably focus on the denture that is bothering you more. If they are both equally uncomfortable, then sure, add 2 implants per arch. If however, one is much more uncomfortable, I would focus on adding 2 or better 4 implants to that arch and address the other denture in the future. Best of luck!

Hi Dan. There might be some correlation between your age and your folks, but this is not something that's set in stone. You could live to be 83, 93, or more! Now, let's talk about your teeth situation. You have 22 teeth at 73 years of age. Congratulations, that's more teeth than half the population has at your age! You want to know if you should remove these teeth and replace them with snap-in-dentures? The answer is NO, don't do it! Transitioning to snap-in/on dentures at your age is a difficult one. If you had been wearing dentures and were considering upgrading by adding a few dental implants, then I would say sure, go for it. But to pull all of your teeth and start wearing dentures at 73 years of age is not a good idea. You mentioned that you have 22 teeth left. A full set of mouth has 28 teeth, so you're only missing 6 teeth. Why not get dental implants or bridges to replace these few missing teeth? You probably don't even need 6 implants to replace your missing teeth, probably 3 or 4 implants would get the job done. As far as the yellow, discolored teeth, go with your dentist's recommendation. Put crowns on these teeth to restore their looks and function. Why pull healthy teeth just because they have some wear and tear which comes with grace of aging? The main reason to pull all of your teeth at your age is if you have end-stage gum disease. From what you've told me, this doesn't seem to apply to your situation. Keep your remaining teeth my friend, and enjoy them. And should you live to be 93 years old, then cap these remaining teeth to re-enforce them as per your dentist's recommendation. If you'd like a more comprehensive treatment plan, please send me your X-rays to TPMyMouth at gmail.com. Thanks for sharing your story!

@@johnjazayeri Hey Doc! Had apt thur am with a chain dental clinic. They told me my lowers were good enough to save, uppers were iffy. Advised me to have upper full denture and lower partial. I could tell her heart wasnt in tellin me to ext all my uppers. I’m going with your and my dentist recommendation to save my teeth. Upper and lower partial. Less than 1000$. Plus I can keep my business here in my hometown. So, If the 75 yr curse gets me, Ill have a few $ to leave my gkids Dr J, I truly appreciate your candor and forthrightness (even the chain clinic dentist agreed the transition to dentures at my age is tramatic) If you travel to NW TN hollar at me :) Dan

Hi Matthew. Sure, there is the option of using 3 implants to retain snap on dentures. Dentists almost only offer even numbers, like 2, 4 or 6, but 3 is a viable option as well. Funny story, I had a case where I removed the patient's upper teeth and only managed to insert 3 implants due to infection in one site. The patient got her snap-on-dentures using just the 3 implants and she ended up being quite happy with them to the point that we didn't even bother with the additional implant. I would say 3 implants is a great option and gives you close to the same retention as 4 implants would.

@@johnjazayeri Thank you

Hi Bill. That's the second time someone asked this question, so let me re-post my answer: There is the option of using 3 implants to retain snap on dentures. Dentists usually only offer an even number, like 2, 4 or 6, but 3 is certainly a viable option. Funny story, I had a case where I removed the patient's upper teeth and only managed to insert 3 implants due to infection in one site. The patient got her snap-on-dentures using just the 3 implants and she ended up being quite happy with them to the point that we didn't even bother with the additional implant. I would say 3 implants is a great option and gives you close to the same retention as 4 implants would.

I’m sorry to hear that. Have you been taking antibiotics and motrin? They help a lot the first few days. 9 days is a long time. If the pain doesn’t improve significantly after 2 weeks, I would see my dentist. They might want to take a CT scan to ensure the implants were placed well and are healing properly.

How are you doing now? I hope you feel a lot better!!

I'm in the process of lower implants my dentist has recommended 2 implants half my teeth are gone now so no going back ughh... is it really that sore iv had 6 teeth out so far have 5 to go and i cant eat anything but mash or yogurt... implants yet to be inserted ?? Any advice plz

@@Jovonne73 sorry to hear about your uncomfortable experience. Removing multiple teeth can be difficult and painful. There’s not a whole lot that can be done until the bad teeth are all removed. However, once you’ve removed all of your bad teeth, you might be able to use an immediate or temporary denture. You might want to talk to your dentist to see if that’s an option. In the meantime, use Ensure and other high-quality nutrients so that you keep your body from becoming too weak. Rinsing with salt water, taking Mortin, and using ice pack or heat pack may also help. Good luck!

@@johnjazayeri thanks a mil for your reply I shall take your advice and hopefully it will be all.worth it in the end. It's a slow process 6 to 12 months I was told would this be correct ?

Hi Leticia. The implants are placed during a routine surgery. Your dentist will drill your jaw, insert the implants, and allow them to heal. Then, after a few weeks/months, they will place a connector and attach the implants to your snap on denture. I'm not sure what you mean by "does it extend the life of the teeth"? The denture, whether it's snap on or regular denture, can last for many years. Some people never get a new denture. Others replace their denture every 5 to 10 years. Most people who receive snap on dentures, use the same denture for as long as possible. Snap on dentures are more difficult to make, and they are quite expensive, so most patients who get them, use it for the rest of their life. Don't lose your dentures! Good luck.