The lower denture that would not stay put

The situation

A full lower denture since 2015, relined three times, remade once. The upper denture was fine — upper dentures usually are, because they get suction from the palate. The lower one had nothing to hold on to and never had.

This is the most under-treated problem we see. The lower jaw shrinks steadily once the teeth are gone, and every year there is less ridge for a denture to sit on. By eleven years in, she was applying adhesive three times a day and eating a narrower and narrower range of food.

What we suggested, and why

She asked about All-on-4, having read about it. It would have worked. It was also £12,500, and it was not what she needed.

Two implants with locator attachments would stop the denture lifting, which was the actual complaint. That is £5,900, it is a much smaller operation, and at seventy-one with a well-made existing denture, it was the proportionate answer. We said so.

There is a trade-off and we set it out: a denture on two locators still rests on the gum and still comes out at night. It stops moving; it does not become fixed teeth. If what she wanted was teeth that never come out, the answer was a different and more expensive plan. She was clear that stability was the whole of it.

What we did: implant-retained denture, lower arch

Two implants at the front of the lower jaw, where the bone is densest and furthest from the nerve. Forty minutes, local anaesthetic, no sedation. Her existing denture was adjusted so she could keep wearing it while the implants healed — nobody goes without.

Three months later the locator attachments were fitted and a new lower denture was made to seat onto them properly, rather than adapting the old one, which had lost its fit to the ridge anyway.

Timeline

• Month 0 — two implants placed, existing denture adjusted and relined
• Month 3 — locators fitted, impressions for the new denture
• Month 4 — new denture fitted onto the locators
• Month 10 — review, attachment inserts changed

What it cost

£6,300: £5,900 for two implants, locators and a new denture, plus £400 for the interim reline. Paid in two stages.

The treatment is described on implant-retained dentures. The costs page sets out the full range.

“I had stopped eating out. Not because of the pain — because of the fear of the thing lifting in front of people.”

Fictional testimonial on a concept site. Real patient testimonials in the UK are subject to GDC advertising guidance and require written consent.