The new year is typically when we reflect back on what is behind us, and maybe make goals or resolutions for the new year. Personally I might not make a resolution on a specific date like new years, but I am constantly making resolutions to myself. Some of them revolve around dentistry, and what I can do to provide better dental services to the patients I serve. One of these services involves retaining dentures with implants. In my years of practicing dentistry one of the most common and reoccurring complaints I hear from patients is, “my denture doesn’t stay in well enough to chew what I want.”
Denture Implants
While we might all know that distant relative who has worn dentures for 40 years and has no problems and can chew steak and eat corn on the cob, that isn’t the reality I see for most patients. This is why one of the best services we as dentists can provide a patient is 2 or 4 implants to secure the troublesome lower denture. These implants are placed into the bone and serve as an anchor for the denture. They can dramatically increase the chewing ability compared to that of a conventional denture. For this reason, and others, I have invested much time attending continuing education classes, and honing my skills in placing implants to specifically support a full arch denture. Not my new year’s resolution, but a resolution to myself is to make sure I am offering the best care to my patients, and I can educate them that is something better out there for them if they want it.