Implant-Assisted Removable Partial Dentures

Partial dentures are an underutilized treatment in modern dentistry. This is unfortunate because many patients could benefit from them. When you factor in the potential to integrate implants, by creating an implant-assisted removable partial denture, a partial could become an ideal prosthetic option for many patients

Burbank Dental Lab has long been a leading dental lab for Removable Partial Dentures (RPDs), and this collaboration between the implant and removable prosthetic teams has enhanced their expertise even further. The integrated approach allows for a wide range of treatment options for both dentists and patients.

As part of the continuing development and innovation at Burbank Dental Lab our implant team has had ongoing collaboration between the implant and removable prosthetic work teams. Our ability to design and fabricate both implant restorations and removable prosthetics as an integrated team provide a vast collection of potential treatment options for you and your patients.

• Learn the features and benefits of traditional removable partial dentures

The cast Co/Cr framework is the most prevalent type of removable partial denture. It utilizes clasping systems to keep the partial denture in place within the patient’s mouth. The objective of this type of partial denture is to prioritize tooth-borne retention, thereby reducing the impact on the surrounding tissue. Additionally, a well-designed metal framework will distribute biting forces evenly throughout the entire arch, minimizing stress and trauma on the retaining teeth.

Not all Co/Cr alloys are the same. When it comes to Cobalt Chromium alloys, Vitallium  2000 Plus stands out as an excellent option. For more than four decades, Vitallium has been a trusted name in partial dentures, consistently providing an optimal combination of material properties for removable partial dentures.

Valplast Flexible Partials: Planning for Case Success

Features

• Tensile strength is higher than any other chrome cobalt alloy on the market.
• Elongation over twice that of the previous Vitallium.
• Extraordinary strength and unprecedented fracture resistance while allowing for smaller, lighter, more delicate partial frameworks.
• Increased flexibility, without deformation or fracture, allowing for excellent adjustability similar to that of gold.
• Produces the most refined, smooth surface available, one that is easier to adjust, maintains its luster and resists plaque while still maintaining that legendary Vitallium precision fit.

Benefits

• RPDs are one of the most affordable means of having missing teeth replaced.
• Keeps adjacent and opposing teeth from shifting.
• Easily adjusted for ongoing retention.
• Provides a balanced, functional platform for the patient to chew and speak.
• Compared to dental bridge work, having a removable partial denture minimizes and causes no damage to the adjacent teeth.

Concerns

• Patients do not like visible metal clasps.
• Partial dentures may also affect speech and taste as it partially covers the roof of the mouth.
• Anatomically teeth are still missing, and bone loss in the area will continue to occur.

• Learn what is an implant-assisted removable partial denture, along with the features and benefits.

Implant-assisted removable partial dentures provide many advantages to the patient and open the door to serving many patients with implant restorations that may not be candidates for other implant prosthetics.

Image courtesy of Willow Pass Dental Care – Concord, CA

Implant-Assisted Removable Partial Denture

Features

• A reasonably affordable option for removable partial denture-wearing patients to improve their quality of chewing and quality of life.
• Typically retained with the use of locator-type attachments.

Uses for Locator attachments with RPDs included

• Stabilizing distal extensions
• Hiding unsightly clasps, customizing retention to the patient’s desire, and increasing retention can be easily accomplished by replacing the worn retentive nylon.
• Implants can often be placed in the extraction site of a failed RPD abutment tooth
  (see image below).

Benefits

• Can eliminate the need for clasps for aesthetic reasons.

• Maintains bone in edentulous areas where implants are placed.
• Reduces the amount of cross-arch metal connectors.
• Eliminates potential stress on teeth from clasps.
• Can be transitioned to fixed therapeutic options.
• The implant-assisted partial denture will hold up longer because it has more support.
• The remaining teeth will hold up longer because they have extra help supporting the partial denture.
• The partial denture will fit more tightly because it is snapping onto one or more dental implants.

Concerns

• Patients may still object to a removable prosthetic.
• While minimized, there are still metal connectors, which patients may not desire.

Clinical records required

• Implant-level impression.

• It is essential to get a complete impression of soft tissue, as there will be some interaction between the implant-assisted RPD and the tissue.
• Bite registration.
• Bite block may be necessary depending on tooth support for occlusion.

Basic practices of implant-assisted removable partial dentures

• Remember that the implant and attachment are there to retain the removable partial denture, not support it.
• Forces during compression should be distributed over the soft tissue and bone as well as over any remaining supporting teeth.
• To minimize stress on the implant, it is advisable to place light finger pressure on the removable partial denture while picking up the metal housing.
• Avoid angles of more than 20 degrees between the long axis of the implant and the opposing force.
• It is ideal to have 1.5 mm of the abutment above soft tissue level for proper engagement of the locator retentive nylon.
• A minimum of 11 mm from the implant platform to the opposing dentition is ideal to prevent fractures of the removable partial denture over the locator housing.

The objective of this article was to introduce you to the possibility of treating your patients with removable partial dentures, especially with an implant-assisted removable partial denture. Burbank Dental Lab is a highly experienced removable dental lab and one of the top dental implant labs in the country.

For assistance with treatment planning and problem-solving for your next partially edentulous case, please give Burbank Dental Lab a call or engage us in our Live Chat by clicking the blue icon located in the corner of your screen.