Implant Dentures in Sterling Heights, MI

If you’ve been wearing a denture for any length of time, you already know the issues. The lower one moves around. The upper one covers your palate. You think twice before laughing at dinner. These are the natural limitations of a conventional denture, and they’re what implant dentures were meant to solve.

At St. Apollonia Dental, we offer three implant-based alternatives to traditional dentures: denture stabilization, semi-removable roundhouse bridges, and cemented roundhouse bridges. They vary in cost and removability, but truly, they’re all good options. The right one for you will depend on your situation, your expectations, and your budget.

The Problems With Conventional Dentures

A conventional denture replaces your missing teeth with plastic. It sits on your gums and relies on suction, adhesive, or sheer willpower to stay put. For the upper jaw, it usually manages okay. The lower jaw is notoriously difficult to master. In his 43 years of practice, Dr. Pearson has watched enough patients struggle with lower dentures that he no longer places them without implant support.

Even when conventional dentures are made well, they’ll lose their fit over time. The reason for this is bone loss, which worsens the longer you’ve had your dentures. When your natural teeth were present, the roots were constantly stimulating the jawbone, telling it to stay dense and intact. Once the teeth are gone, that stimulation stops, and the bone gradually deteriorates. The longer you wear a conventional denture, the more bone you tend to lose and the less stable the denture becomes.

This creates a challenge when patients come to us wanting dental implants. If the bone has diminished significantly, there may not be enough of it to work with in the usual places. That’s a big reason we so frequently place mini dental implants for dentures. Because they’re smaller in diameter, we can often place them in the bone you do have available.

The Benefits of Implant Dentures

Once implants are in, the problems conventional dentures create tend to disappear. Implants improve things like:

• Stability: The denture is anchored to the jaw. It doesn’t shift, rock, or float around while you chew.
• Confidence: You can eat at a restaurant, sneeze, and laugh without thinking twice. This peace of mind can be life-changing for denture wearers.
• Taste and nutrition: Implant-supported restorations either reduce or eliminate the plastic plate covering the roof of your mouth, which drastically improves your ability to taste food. Chewing efficiency improves as well, allowing you to eat nutritious meals that may be challenging with conventional dentures.

Once we anchor your restoration to the jaw, you’re no longer fighting physics. And depending on how permanent you want your solution to be, there are three directions we can go from here.

Implant Dentures: What Are My Options?

At St. Apollonia Dental, we offer three full-arch implant systems:

Denture Stabilization

This is the most budget-friendly implant option for replacing a full arch of missing teeth. A full set of implant-stabilized dentures costs about $7,000-$8,000. For many patients, it’s a practical starting point.

In a single visit, Dr. Pearson can place about 4 mini implants in the lower jaw or 6 in the upper, and add clips to the underside of your existing denture. The denture snaps right onto the implants, and you’ll leave with a denture that actually stays put.

If you don’t have a denture yet, we can build one for you. Either way, the materials are the same as a conventional denture, though a bit less bulky. The main difference is that it no longer moves.

Semi-Removable Roundhouse Bridge

The semi-removable roundhouse bridge is the most common full-arch restoration Dr. Pearson places, and it’s easy to see why: it hits a strong middle ground between cost and permanence.

Gone is the plastic base of a conventional denture. Instead, the restoration is a series of connected teeth that sit right on top of 6 to 10 mini implants. The restoration is cushioned by small rubber O-rings on the underside that absorb chewing forces and reduce the number of implants needed.

We call this option “semi-removable” because you can’t remove it yourself. Dr. Pearson can, and does, at your regular cleanings, to keep everything properly maintained. Built from scratch over a series of appointments and running about $16,000, this is a significant step up from denture stabilization in both feel and function.

Cemented Roundhouse Bridge

We also offer a roundhouse bridge that never comes out. It’s the most permanent option we offer and, at about $20,000, it sits at the top of the price spectrum. It looks like the semi-removable version, but we cement the restoration onto 10 to 12 mini implants with a hard dental cement. It doesn’t come out.

With a roundhouse bridge like this, there’s no soaking it overnight, no risk of dropping it, no taking it out at all. For patients who want the closest thing possible to having their own teeth back, this is it.

The Implant Denture Process

If you’re interested in one of the implant denture options above, you’re likely wondering what the next step is. Getting implant dentures starts with a free consultation. Dr. Pearson will examine your mouth, take a CBCT scan of your jaw to assess bone density and nerve locations, and review your options with you in detail. The planning is where the success of your treatment is largely determined. Knowing what we’re working with before a single implant is placed makes everything that follows more predictable.

From there, regardless of which implant denture option you choose, the next step is implant placement. Mini implant placement is far less involved than most patients expect. There are no nerve endings in the jawbone, so the actual tissue disruption amounts to small pilot holes. Most patients take little more than an aspirin afterward.

After placement, the process shifts depending on your restoration. Denture stabilization wraps up the same day: Dr. Pearson adds clips to your existing denture right then, and you leave with a denture that stays put. A semi-removable or cemented roundhouse bridge requires a few more appointments to make sure everything fits and looks exactly right.

For longer appointments, particularly roundhouse cases involving extractions, Dr. Pearson offers oral sedation. These are safe medications in the benzodiazepine family that help you feel more relaxed during your procedure. Many patients find they remember very little of the procedure at all. Even for patients who aren’t particularly anxious, sedation can make a long appointment considerably more comfortable.

Considering Implant Dentures? Book a Free Consultation!

A denture that moves, slips, or comes out at the wrong moment isn’t something you just have to live with. At St. Apollonia Dental, we offer options at a range of price points. While each restoration works a little differently, the result is the same: teeth that stay where they belong.

If you want a more stable denture, a free consultation is the place to start. Dr. Pearson will review your bone structure, explain your options honestly, and help you figure out which direction makes the most sense. From there, it’s just a matter of getting it done. Ready to take the first step? Book your free consultation today.

Frequently Asked Questions