Patient education · Freedom Dental Implants
The short answer
A snap-in denture connects to dental implants through attachments inside the denture. Dr. Ackerman explains that this helps keep it stable without adhesive. You remove it for daily cleaning, and the attachment O-rings need periodic replacement.
If you rely on adhesive or worry that your denture will move, you may be curious about snap-in dentures. In this video, Dr. Regan Ackerman shows how the denture connects to mini implants and explains the care it needs.
So one of the most common procedures I do is what we call a snap-in denture. Many people are like, what is a snap-in denture? So essentially, for me, I will use the mini dental implants. So that’s a smaller diameter implant that’s just a lot less invasive. I don’t have to make any incisions or stitches.
I will place these implants under local anesthetic. I don’t have to sedate you. The implants will look like this. You’ll see like a little abutment sticking out of the gum. And then the same day that I put the implants in, I’m able to put these attachments inside your denture.
So now your denture will snap onto the implants. So that’s what a snap-in denture is. So essentially, it’s your denture that now will snap onto the implants so that it keeps your denture in. It stabilizes that denture so that it won’t move around. It’s not flopping around anymore.
You don’t have to use gobs of glue to keep it in. You can finally eat what you want to eat again. You can bite into a burger again or eat steak again, and you’re just going to take it out once a day and rinse and clean everything and snap it back in. So that’s essentially what a snap-in denture is. There is some maintenance involved with it.
You’ll come back and see me once a year. The little O-rings help keep it snapped in. I always say to think of them like tires on a car. They’re going to wear out over time. So you’ll come back and see us once a year to get those replaced, and it’s going to keep everything nice and tight for you so you can continue to eat all those things you are enjoying eating again.
If you’re interested in learning more about snap-in dentures, we invite you to schedule a free consultation with Dr. Regan Ackerman at Freedom Dental Implants in Louisville, Kentucky. We look forward to giving you the freedom to smile.
Stability with daily removal for cleaning
A snap-in denture is still removable. The difference is how it stays in place: attachments connect it to implants rather than relying on adhesive. Dr. Ackerman also emphasizes ongoing maintenance so those attachments continue to hold the denture securely.
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