dental implants
Dentures that stay put: implant-retained dentures.
An implant-retained denture is a removable denture that snaps onto a small number of implants instead of resting on your gums. It comes out at night for cleaning, but during the day it stays exactly where it should — no adhesive, no shifting mid-sentence, no rule against apples.
For people worn down by a conventional lower denture — the one that floats no matter how much paste goes under it — this is usually the single biggest quality-of-life upgrade in dentistry.
How it differs from what you may have now
A conventional denture relies on suction and adhesive; on the lower jaw especially, both give up early and often. Snapping onto implants gives the denture something to hold, which changes chewing, speech, and confidence at dinner in one step.
Because it still comes out, cleaning stays simple and the cost stays well below a fixed full-arch bridge. If never-comes-out is what you want, that option is All-on-4 — and the consult covers both honestly.
What the process looks like
Typically two to four implants are placed per arch, heal into the bone over a few months, and then your denture — new, or sometimes your existing one, retrofitted — gets the attachments that snap onto them.
If you already wear a denture you like, bring it to the consult. Whether it can be retrofitted is a question your doctor answers by examining it, not one a website can promise either way.
Questions we hear in the chair
- How is this different from All-on-4?
- All-on-4 is fixed — only a dentist removes it. An implant-retained denture snaps in and out; you take it home in your hand the day you clean it. Fixed costs more and feels most like natural teeth; snap-in costs less and keeps cleaning simple.
- Can my current denture be converted?
- Sometimes. It depends on its condition and fit over the implant positions. Bring it to the consult and you'll get a direct answer — and if a new denture is the better call, you'll hear why in plain terms.
- How many implants does it take?
- Commonly two on the lower jaw and four on the upper, though your anatomy decides. The exact number — and its effect on the cost — is set out in writing at the consult.
- Do I still need to take it out at night?
- Yes. Nightly removal and cleaning protects both the denture and the gums beneath it, and the snap attachments make mornings a two-second job.
Clinical content reviewed by Dr. Marissa DeAngelis, Senior Dentist.
Serving Crozet for 50+ years. At least two full-time doctors in the building, Monday through Friday.