Tag Archives: implant supported dentures

Dental Implants

Ordering Dental Implant Parts Online

I wear completely removable upper dentures that can snap on. I am on an extremely tight budget and it is starting to get hard to pay for my male retention caps. My dentist charges $30 for one individual cap. I see online that I can get a set of four for $25, which would save me a significant amount of money. However, you have to be a dentist to order them. Do you know of any place you can purchase these without being a licensed dentist?

Travis

Dear Travis,

Snap on Denture

I have a couple of ideas that may help you. First, I would just talk to your dentist and explain the hardship. While I understand that there is a need to mark some things up in order to cover overhead expenses, this is such a small profit margin that I don’t think he will care about selling them to you at cost or at least much closer to it. If he or she does, you still have a couple of options.

First, you can call around to other dental offices explaining your situation. In most cases, dentists and their employees chose their profession because they want to help people. You would not have to speak to the dentist directly. It is generally an employee who orders all the supplies for the dentist anyway. You may be able to work out a deal with them.

If both of those things fail, I see that you can purchase retention caps for dental implant supported dentures on Ebay from overseas dealers for about $20 a set. They do not require verification that you are a dentist. The only downside to this is you need to know exactly what you want including strength and resistance, as well as how to place them on your denture.

I hope this helps.

This blog is brought to you by Lafayette, LA Dentists Drs. Foreman and Thimmesch.

Dental Implants

Dentist Said I Have to Get Dentures

I have dental insurance for the first time and just started going to the dentist. My teeth are pretty bad and some of them have started coming out. My dentist said I have advanced gum disease and will need to extract my teeth and get dentures. Is it at all possible that I could get dental implants instead?

Susan A.

Dear Susan,

Implant Overdentures
Implant Overdentures

You are in a tough position. At some point, dental implants will be possible, but you are going to have to get that periodontal (gum) disease under control first. That will be imperative. After that, I would make sure your dentist does adequate diagnostics. That would need to include a CT for two reasons. First, you want to make sure you have enough bone structure left to retain your dental implants. Second, dental implants are a 3D procedure and you need 3-Dimensional images in order to ensure proper placement.

If you don’t have enough bone structure, you will need to have a bone grafting procedure done first. Then, after a time of healing, it will be okay for you to go forward with your dental implants.

What you will want to get is called implant overdentures or implant supported dentures. With this, you will have between four to eight dental implants placed and then, after a period necessary for osseointegration (meaning bone integrating with the implants), have a denture anchored to them.

This blog is brought to you by Lafayette, LA Dentists Drs. Foremen and Thimmesch.