Have you been looking into getting traditional dentures but were told that you need to get a bone graft done to have them? If so, it may have caused you to pass up on dentures to fix your teeth. But you may not be aware that snap-on style dentures do not always require a bone graft to get them. They use 4 implants in each jaw that can be placed in areas where the jaw bone is more stable. Here is what you need to know.

Why Bone Loss Is A Concern

Those that need dentures because they are missing teeth may also be dealing with bone loss. This is because those roots of the teeth are used to stimulate the jaw bone, and without them, it can cause bone loss to happen. There are places in your jaw that have very little bone in the first place, such as your lower jaw's ridge and under your sinuses. This makes installing a dental implant for traditional dentures in those areas very difficult. An implant needs ample support in order to fuse to the bone, which is why bone grafts are often needed to correct bone loss before any type of implant procedure.

If you do not want to get a bone graft done, there are still options that will allow you to get the implants you need to help support snap-on style dentures instead.

How Angled Implants Can Help

There is an alternative technique that only uses four dental implants for each jaw, but inserts them in the rear of the mouth where the jaw bone typically has more support. The implants are also installed diagonally into the jaw bone. This helps give the implant more bone to come in contact with, which helps it integrate into the jaw bone. By strategically placing these implants at key points, it's possible to avoid getting a bone graft to have the implants installed.

This means that for lower and upper snap-on style dentures, only 8 dental implants would be required. This not only saves you the hassle of needing to do the bone graft procedure, but saves you money by having fewer dental implants installed. This helps speed up the entire process as well and gets you usable dentures quickly. It's even possible to walk out of the dentist office with the implants and dentures in place on the very same day.

For more info on angled implants and snap-on style dentures, speak with a dentist, such as R. Troup Davis, DDS, about it during a consultation.