Snap-On Locator Overdentures in Bethlehem, PA

Snap-on Locator overdentures are removable dentures that click onto small Locator® attachments on dental implants, so they stay put while you eat and talk and snap out when you want to clean them. At Always About Smiles, our Bethlehem, PA dental office, our experienced oral surgery team places the implants and I design and deliver the denture that snaps onto them.

A conventional denture rests on the gums and depends on suction or adhesive, which is why so many people feel it shift when they bite into something or laugh out loud. A snap-on overdenture is supported by your gum tissue and the implants together: special little plastic snap-ons inside the denture fit over the Locator attachments, so it holds firmly without paste, and you can enjoy your meal and your conversation without keeping one eye on your teeth.

Your teeth keep the jawbone around them healthy and strong; once they're gone, that bone slowly gives way, which is why a denture that fit well years ago can feel loose today. Implants give the bone back some of that work, so an overdenture helps preserve the bone underneath it, keeps your face looking like you, and keeps the denture fitting the way it did the day you got it.

Because it's removable, you can take the denture out to brush it and to clean the gums and implants underneath, which makes it a little easier to keep clean and maintain than a fixed set of teeth. That's a large part of why we make just as many snap-on overdentures as we do fixed implant work. The small plastic inserts that give the denture its snap wear with use, and replacing them at a routine visit brings the snug fit right back.

A regular denture sits on your gums and is held by suction or adhesive; a snap-on overdenture clicks onto implants with Locator attachments, usually two to four for a lower denture. Both come out for cleaning, but the overdenture doesn't slide around while you eat, needs no adhesive, and helps preserve the jawbone underneath.

Snap-on overdentures are quoted in two parts: I quote the denture and the Locator attachments, and the oral surgery team quotes the implant placement. You hold both figures before anything begins. The only way to determine the actual cost is by coming in for a consultation and examination to find out if you have bone loss, how many implants you will need, and whether your current denture can be used. Financing is available.

Most patients are three to four months from the first appointment to the finished overdenture, depending on how many implants you need and the quality of the bone they're placed in. The implants need time to heal before the denture is snapped onto them, and you wear a denture throughout, so you're never without teeth.

Most of my part is impressions, try-ins and adjustments, which need no numbing at all. Where numbing is needed, a super numbing gel goes on before any anesthetic, and I buffer the anesthetic chair-side, which makes the numbness more rapid and profound for your comfort. Nitrous oxide is available, and OraVerse, a novocaine-reversing agent, offers a faster return to normal sensation.

The implants are built for decades; most research has shown that implants have been successful for over 30 years. The denture on top is a serviceable part, and the small inserts that give it its snap are made to be changed as they wear, so routine visits keep the hold firm. I check the fit, the attachments and the gums underneath at every cleaning.

Most people who wear a full denture, or who are about to lose their remaining teeth, are good candidates, especially when a lower denture won't stay put. Quality and quantity of available bone is more often the deciding factor than age. Heavy smoking, uncontrolled diabetes, certain blood disorders, IV medications for osteoporosis or bone cancer, and past radiation to the jaws need extra planning or may rule implants out, and an examination and x-rays tell us where you stand.