Implanto-prosthetic Restoration of a total edentulous young Patient - Case Report

The placement of the implants on totally edentulous young patients increases dramatically the functionality of their complete dentures. Dental education around the world is giving more and more space in the dental schools curriculum and in CME programs to learn to treat patients with dental implants, which is a much better training than the courses sponsored by implant companies. This case report is showing a young male patient with a massive bone loss due to periodontal disease who was successfully rehabilitated, both functionally and esthetically, using two implant supported overdentures. The patient came to the dental clinic seeking for full oral rehabilitation. After the clinical and radiological examination, we extracted the few irrecoverable remaining teeth, the patient becoming totally edentulous. Over the healing period he wore two interim complete conventional dentures. His main request was to obtain the best possible retention for the final restorations. Together we decided to restore the arches using overdentures which are creating a natural esthetic and an enhancing facial appearance and compensating for lost soft and hard tissues better than fixed prosthesis. The bone quantity and quality was evaluated using a CT scan and four implants were inserted on each arch. After a period of six month we fabricated the overdentures on implants using stud ball attachments. Young patients in totally edentulous situations pay a lot of money for denture adhesive and fabrication of new conventional complete dentures. The overdentures on implants are a much better treatment option for them both from the financial point of view and also for the main benefit that implants are preventing the further bone loss in areas where tooth are missing. The improved function increases the range of food that the patient can eat, and also his general health. Keywords: bone loss, implants, overdentures