Case a
The lower jaw of a 62 year old man without any teeth. Three implants are chosen to reduce the wear-and-tear on the implant inserts since the retentive forces will be spread over three implants instead of two. The lower jaw usually does not provide a good fit for a conventional full denture. This ridge, and its underlying bone, is somewhat thin. Three implants will be placed in the middle of the jaw -- were there is no nerve which could be damaged.
The three implants appear as white on the x-ray. The small "ball" inserts can be seen on the top of the implants. The lower jaw bone is more of a gray color and surrounds the implants and extends below the implants for approximately 1/2 inch. This view of the patient's mouth shows how the implants appear when the overdenture (the name given to a denture which sits over these implants) has not been inserted over these implants by the patient. The patient can easily clean around these implants with a toothbrush.Various implant manufacturers may have different types of "heads" that go into the implants but the basics are the same.
This shows the three "O - ring" attachment sites into which the implants will fit.
