An implant denture is a full set of replacement teeth that attaches to dental implants in your jaw instead of resting on your gums. A snap-in denture clips onto two or more implants and comes out for cleaning, while a fixed implant denture stays in and only comes out at the dental office.
At Overland Park Dental Design, Dr. Patrick B. Lillis, DDS, plans the denture first and places the implants where the teeth need support, so the bite works and the denture stays put. The office sits at 109th and Roe in Overland Park, on the Leawood line.
The more implants hold the teeth, the more the denture feels and works like your own teeth, and the more the treatment costs.
| Compare | Traditional denture | Snap-in (implant-retained) denture | Fixed implant denture |
|---|---|---|---|
| What holds it | Suction and adhesive | Attachments that clip onto two or more implants | Screws into four or more implants |
| Comes out | Yes, daily | Yes, daily, to clean | Only at the dental office |
| Stability when chewing | Can shift or lift | Stays in place for most foods | Stays fixed |
| Covers the roof of the mouth | Yes, for an upper | Often not, with enough upper implants | No |
| Surgery | None | Implant placement | Implant placement |
| Upfront cost | Lowest | Middle | Highest |
Snap-in dentures, also called snap-on dentures, implant-retained dentures, or overdentures, are removable dentures that click onto attachments on top of dental implants.
The denture has small inserts on the underside that press onto matching attachments on the implants, often a brand called Locator. You feel it click into place, and you pull it off to clean it and your gums at night.
On the lower jaw, two implants usually hold the denture well. The McGill consensus statement named a lower denture on two implants the first-choice standard of care for people with no lower teeth, and a review of the research found higher satisfaction and quality of life with implant-retained lower dentures than conventional ones.
An upper snap-in denture usually needs four or more implants. With enough implants, it can leave the roof of your mouth open, so food tastes and feels more natural.
Implant dentures help people whose traditional denture slips, rubs, or makes eating hard, and people about to lose their remaining teeth who want to skip the loose-denture stage.
You need enough jawbone for the implants, or a bone graft to rebuild it, and healthy gums. Smoking and uncontrolled diabetes raise the risk of implant problems, so Dr. Lillis works through your health history with you at the first visit.
A snap-in denture costs less and is easier to clean, while a fixed implant denture feels closest to your own teeth and never comes out at home.
You want a big step up in stability from a traditional denture at a lower cost, you like being able to take it out to clean, or you have less bone to work with. Many people can have implants placed under the denture they already wear.
You want teeth that stay in all the time, don't want anything covering the roof of your mouth, and have enough bone for four or more implants per arch. Fixed teeth take more planning because the bite has to work exactly, which is why Dr. Lillis plans them the same way as full mouth rehabilitation.
Implant dentures take several months from planning to final teeth, mostly because the bone needs time to fuse to the implants, and you wear a denture the whole time.
Dr. Lillis examines your gums, any remaining teeth, your jaw joints, and your current denture, and takes X-rays, scans, and a record of how your jaw closes. He checks where your bone is thick enough for implants and where the teeth need to sit for your bite and your face.
You hear whether a snap-in or fixed denture fits your mouth, how many implants each option needs, whether you need extractions or bone grafts first, and how long each stage takes. Each option comes with a written cost.
Dr. Lillis sets up the teeth first, and you check the look and bite in a try-in. The implant positions come from that setup, so the attachments sit where the denture needs them.
Under local anesthesia, the implants go into the jawbone. For complex cases, Dr. Lillis plans the surgery with an oral surgeon. Your denture goes back in, adjusted with a soft liner so it doesn't press on the healing implants.
Over the next few months, the bone grows around the implants and locks them in place. Dr. Lillis adjusts your denture during this time to keep it comfortable.
Once the implants have fused, the attachments go on. For a snap-in denture, Dr. Lillis fits the inserts into your new or existing denture. For a fixed denture, the final teeth screw onto the implants. He checks your bite with everything in place.
Your hygienist cleans around the implants and checks the attachments at every one-hour hygiene visit. The inserts in a snap-in denture wear with use, and replacing them is a quick visit that restores the snap.
Implant dentures last longest when the bite spreads chewing forces evenly across the implants; a denture that hits hard on one side wears its attachments and strains the implants beneath it.
“We don't just look at one tooth. We look at the entire system. And that's their teeth. That's their airway. That's their jaw muscles. That's their joints.”
That's why Dr. Lillis designs the teeth first and checks the bite at every stage.
Most people eat a much wider range of foods with implant dentures than with a traditional denture, including apples, salads and cooked meat.
Very hard foods like ice and hard candy can crack denture teeth, and very sticky foods like caramel can pull on a snap-in denture. Start with softer foods while the implants heal, then work back up.
Dr. Patrick B. Lillis spent two intensive years in an Advanced Education in General Dentistry residency at UMKC School of Dentistry, mastering complex implant, restorative, and reconstructive cases under renowned attending faculty.
Crafting dental restorations is in his DNA. At just thirteen, he was already waxing and casting in his grandfather's dental lab. Today, he evaluates denture setups with the refined eye of a master technician.
Since opening Overland Park Dental Design in July 2004, Dr. Lillis has brought unrivaled precision to his practice while actively shaping the future of dentistry by lecturing to peers through the prestigious Seattle Study Club.
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Dr. Lillis and his team are beyond amazing! From my first consultation to the end result I couldn't have asked for a better experience. They take care of you from the moment you walk in the door. Truly impressed with their concierge approach to dental care. Can't thank them enough!
Everyone at OP Dental Design is so sincere, and truly listen to what your goals are. I spent a majority of my childhood seeing Dr. Lillis due to the fact that I was born without 8 permanent molars. It’s incredible to see how far we’ve come as a team - he made the outcomes look flawless. There’s a reason I continue to see Dr. Lillis and his team for all my regular check ins today. I’ll always recommend Dr. Lillis to family and friends in Kansas City who are looking for a dentist who truly cares!
This office is the best!! Dr.Lillis and the staff are very professional and I wouldn’t have anyone else do my dental work! They are very kind and compassionate!
The cost of implant dentures depends on how many implants you need, whether the denture snaps in or stays fixed, whether you need extractions or bone grafts, and whether Dr. Lillis can convert your current denture.
After your consultation, you receive a written plan with the cost of each stage, so you can compare a snap-in and a fixed option side by side. You can phase treatment, starting with one arch.
Overland Park Dental Design is in the Foxhill Medical Building at 109th and Roe, just off I-435 at Roe Avenue, on the line between Overland Park and Leawood. Patients come from Leawood, Prairie Village, Mission Hills, Olathe, Lenexa, and across the Kansas City metro.
Overland Park Dental Design, Patrick B. Lillis, DDSThey need implant surgery and a few months of healing; they cost more than a traditional denture, and the inserts wear and need replacing from time to time. You still take them out every night to clean.
For most people with a loose denture, especially a lower one, yes. The implants hold the denture in place when you eat and talk, and research shows people are more satisfied with them than with conventional dentures.
A lower snap-in denture never covers the palate. An upper one can often leave it open when it sits on four or more implants, and with fewer implants it usually still covers it.
The implants can last many years with healthy gums and a balanced bite. The denture teeth and base wear like any denture and need relines or replacing over time, and snap-in inserts need replacing more often.
Sometimes. If your denture fits well and the teeth are in good shape, Dr. Lillis can often fit attachments into it. A worn or poorly fitting denture usually needs replacing.
Usually two for a lower snap-in denture, four or more for an upper snap-in denture, and four or more per arch for a fixed implant denture.
Take them out at night to clean them and give your gums a rest, unless Dr. Lillis tells you otherwise.
It depends on how many implants each arch needs, any extractions or grafting, and whether you convert your current denture. You receive a written cost for each option after your consultation.
If your denture slips, rubs, or keeps you from eating what you want, the consultation shows you whether snap-in or fixed teeth fit your mouth and what each one costs.