If you are missing teeth, you may be considering restorative options, like dentures. There are conventional dentures, which use natural suction and adhesives to stay and place, and there are overdentures—like all-on-4 devices—which use anchoring implants to hold a denture in place. There are some great advantages to all-on-4 implants and overdentures compared to traditional dentures. Because overdentures are held securely in place by implants, they are less likely to shift during speaking and eating. Some researchers have even found that overdentures may improve nutrient intake. Read on to learn more.

What Do Studies Say About Nutrient Intake and Overdentures?

One study found that patients who wore implant-supported dentures in the mandible, or lower jaw, tended to have improved Vitamin B12 levels and hemoglobin levels, which is indicative of a diet higher in folate and iron. These people also had improvements in their overall body proportions since they had reduced body fat and decreased waist circumference.

Another study found that while the oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) improved for both conventional denture wearers and overdenture wearers, conventional dentures tended to put participants at risk for malnutrition compared to people with implant-supported dentures.

Why Would All-on-Four Dentures Improve Nutritional Intake?

More trials need to be completed to get to the heart of the matter, but there are a couple of reasons why all-on-fours might improve nutritional intake. First, it's simply easier to chew food with implant-supported dentures.

While conventional dentures are made of tough materials, restorative material is simply not as strong as your enamel, so it can be hard to produce strong shearing motions in the incisors and canines. Many healthy foods, like veggies and fruits, are tough and fibrous, so a person with dentures might opt for softer carbohydrates that are easier to chew. Conventional dentures are at risk of rocking if too much force is placed on one side. With all-on-four implant overdentures, the appliance is cemented or screwed into place, so you have much more durability when applying chewing forces.

Another factor that can influence nutritional intake is impaired taste. Your tongue isn't the only area in the oral cavity that contains taste buds; you actually have gustatory cells along the roof of your mouth that contain receptors that respond to taste. Conventional dentures contain a base plate along the roof of the mouth, thus blocking these gustatory cells. Plus, you may need to use an adhesive to hold a traditional denture in place, so that can also affect the taste. All-on-four dentures do not require a large baseplate since the implants hold the appliance in place. There is less of a risk that your taste will be impaired with overdentures, so you may not need to overcompensate with overly sugary or sweet ingredients to enjoy your meals.

Improved nutritional intake is just one reason to look into all-on-four implants. Reach out to a dentist today to learn more about all-on-four implants.