Dr. Whitman was able to assist a patient who had lost all of his upper teeth due to numerous years of lack of access to care. When the patient decided to restore his smile, he had a few dental implants placed with the goal of having an implant-supported denture for his upper teeth.
The oral surgeon placed five implants in the patient’s upper arch. However, the angulation of the implants made it difficult to build a well-fitting denture for the patient. As a result, the patient ended up having a denture that was entirely too bulky. Not only did the teeth look too large due to how bulky the denture was, but it sat on the implants so awkwardly that the patient couldn’t eat or bite down properly. It was even difficult for the patient to close his lips all the way due to the size and shape of the denture.
Fortunately, Dr. Whitman was able to work with the patient to build a better-fitting custom denture for the implants despite their challenging angling. She worked closely with her dental lab to build a custom titanium bar for the patient to support a denture that comfortably fit his mouth. This bar screwed directly into the five implants, and from there, she and her team built the denture directly into the bar to ensure a proper fit.
The bar screwed into the five implants to support a natural-looking, secure denture that’s permanently attached to the implants. The patient is so happy to be able to eat now. He had lost 30 pounds from not being able to eat with the previous denture. The patient reported at his recent teeth cleaning appointment at Leesburg Family & Cosmetic Dentistry that he has since gained 10 pounds back from the time when his new denture was delivered!
