What is a Locator Attachment?
You already know what a denture is and you may even have heard a funny story or two about dentures falling out at the wrong time. Now dentists can combine dental implants with dentures to offer people the ease of just one denture to replace multiple missing teeth and the security of a dental implant to keep the denture in place. There are a few different types of ways to attach the denture to the implants, but let’s talk about locator attachments.
The denture has a base of pink resin that resembles your gums and that pink resin holds the replacement teeth. The teeth may be made from acrylic or porcelain to look and feel like natural teeth.
The dental implant is made of titanium because titanium is a material that the human body treats like bone. The titanium post is placed in the jaw and the bone fuses with the post as the implant heals. After the implant is healed, the dentist can place an attachment on top and the attachment sits just above the gums. The attachment on top of the implant is also called an abutment and it is made from plastic.
The locator attachment on the implant holds the denture in place and does not require additional denture adhesive. People are able to chew their favorite foods and include more whole fresh foods in their diets because the dentures do not slide around while they eat. People are able to speak clearly and without concern that their dentures are noticeable or that they may slide around while trying to communicate.
People who have more delicate gum tissue or who have dryer mouths will benefit from locator attachment dentures compared to traditional dentures. Compared to other types of implant supported dentures, locator attachments leave people with better lip support. A typical side effect of long term denture use is the puckering of the lips. When compared to implant retained fixed dentures, locator attachments offer a more natural look to the mouth. Because the dentures are able to be removed for cleaning when you have locator attachments, the result is better oral hygiene. You are able to properly and thoroughly clean your dentures as well as the gums after you remove the dentures. When the dentist uses implant retained fixed dentures, you are not able to remove the dentures for cleaning and the dentist will be the only one able to remove the dentures.
Locator attachments do need to be replaced as they wear out over time, but the implant should remain without issue after it is healed. If you have a smaller mouth and the size of the denture is limited, then the denture acrylic covering the locator attachment may chip as a result of being too thin. If you are hoping to keep your locator attachments in the best shape for as long as possible, then be sure to remove your dentures at night. You will have the long lasting dentures that stay in place while you continue your life.