A denture that is secured by implants is referred to as implant supported overdenture. A regular denture, on the other hand, is not supported by implants and generally rest on the gums. Implant overdenture is one of the best ways to go if a person does not have any teeth in the jaw but have enough bone in the jaw to support implants. This kind of overdenture has a special attachment that easily snaps onto the attachment on the implants.
Implant supported overdentures are usually aimed to be used in the lower jaw because regular dentures tend to be way less stable there. Generally, a rectangular denture that is made to fit an upper jaw is quite stable on its own and does not need the extra support extended by implants. But one can choose to receive an implant supported overdenture in either the upper or lower jaw.
There are two types of implant overdentures: bar-retained and ball retained. The third variety which has many advantages over the other two are called Locator implant attachment system. They are self-locating and provide retention from both inside and outside. The unique Dual Retention innovation provides the LOCATOR attachment with greater retention surface area than ever before available with other attachments. A combination of inside and outside retention ensures the longest lasting performance. Dr Santosh Dixit has treated over 50 implant overdenture cases with Locators, ball attachments and bar attachments who are satisfied and happy. However, in all the cases, a denture is made of an acrylic base that looks like the gum. Teeth made of acrylic are attached to the base. An implant supported overdenture needs to be removed daily to clean the denture and gum area. It is also not advisable to sleep with the denture at night.