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Patient has failing lower back teeth. Treatment options were presented for fixed implant bridges, removable implant over-partials or conventional removable partial dentures without implants. The patient wanted good function but did not want to spend almost double to get the fixed implant bridges, so, we decided to go with the middle option. The implant over-partial was affordable and provided the great function that she wanted to be able to eat, pain free.
Bad teeth are extracted.
Implants are placed. Many patients are told there is not enough bone in their jaws for dental implants. The reality is that bone is more often available than most patients are told. Many offices do not do dental implants, so, if a patient is told they do not have enough bone for implants that office can render a lesser treatment without losing the patient to an office that does implants.
Lower back implants with Locator attachments in place. The gold abutments you see in this picture are called "Locator" abutments and they are the most popular and simple attachment system in implant dentistry. They work using a friction fit between the abutment seen in this picture and the attachment seen in picture 5.
Locator system attachment housing on top of the Locator abutment. The next step is to transfer the housing to the partial denture.
Tooth side of the removable partial denture. Note that there are no clasps.
Tissue side of lower removable partial denture. The area for the attachments has been hollowed and is ready to accept the housings for transfer.
Housing transferred to the partial denture. Now, this can be called in implant over-partial.
Implant over-partial in place.
Close up, frontal view of partial in place.
Right, lateral mirror view of partial in place.
Left, lateral mirror view of partial in place.
After approximately one month the black attachments are replaced with another stronger, longer lasting color of higher retention. We tell patients that the black attachments are like training wheels on their first bike, which give them a chance to learn to place it and remove it without a lot of struggle.
