Should Dental Implants Be Placed Side by Side?

I had 2 implants placed where teeth have been missing a long time, #21 and #28 . I have worn an upper denture for approx 20 years. I have no lower teeth on either side. There are 6 remaining teeth in between in the front and I’m scheduled to have those removed once we are certain that the first 2 implants have integrated ( 3 – 4 months ). Then the plan is to extract the 6 remaining lower front teeth and place Endosteal implant mandible/maxilla in #22 and #27. However, what mystifies me somewhat is why would they put implants side by side like that? Wouldn’t it be better to skip a tooth and put implants in a tooth away rather than side by side ( this is to support an overdenture)?? Will there be any movement of the overdenture when eating say a submarine sandwich with this set up? I thought there was going to be implants placed more than 1 tooth away but in looking over the dental plan tonight I saw that wasn’t the case hence my questions. Thank you in advance for your reply(s).

2 Comments on Should Dental Implants Be Placed Side by Side?

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Dr. Carlos Boudet
11/25/2015
You have received excellent answers by Dr. Tischler, so I will just reiterate some of the points he made. You said you are not interested in having any movement while you eat, however the removable overdenture in your situation is likely to move a little if forces are placed in the molar areas since it rests on soft tissue there. You can diminish the movement with a bar overdenture where the bar extends posteriorly to the first molar area. If the first implants were already placed, more than likely you will not be able to get the all on four anyway, because it requires a different placement protocol. Placing the implants in place of 23 and 26 does make more sense since it increases the anterio-posterior spread of the implants and makes for a more stable implant supported denture (the legs of the chair are further apart). You do not give any details of the overdenture, will there be a bar? what attachments? where? You should ask your dentst to describe and explain these, and maybe you will feel more confident about the treatment you choose. Good luck! Dr. Carlos Boudet
Dr. Michael Tischler
11/25/2015
Spacing of dental implants can be done in various ways. It sounds like the sequence suggested will allow the two implants to integrate then add more implants. That should work fine. Will you be able to eat well? The answer is that you will be able to eat better than if you had a denture without implants, but there are options that offer more support. The tradeoff is that those other options are more expensive and involve more implants to be placed. A bar overdenture for instance stabilizes the denture better, but it is a much more involved treatment. There are other non-removable options, but these too are even more involved to do and more expensive in general.

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