Digital suction denture and All-on-6 in Seogwipo, Jeju: treating both arches

The patient visited because the mandibular teeth felt loose and painful, hoping to have implant treatment and a new denture. They had been using four mandibular implants with a removable partial denture.

There was substantial bone loss around the existing mandibular implants. The failing prostheses and implants needed to be removed, followed by implant revision surgery.

During consultation, we discussed a fixed full-arch restoration supported by six implants. Compared with placing an implant for every missing tooth, this approach reduced the number of implants and helped limit treatment costs.

The mandibular restoration would be fixed to the implants rather than removed and reinserted by the patient. Treatment focused on improving tooth position and the bite to support more comfortable eating.

The existing mandibular implants were removed and implant revision surgery was performed. Temporary mandibular teeth were fitted on the day of surgery.

In the intraoral photograph, the maxillary denture is the patient's existing denture; the mandibular teeth are the newly fitted temporary restoration.

The existing maxillary complete denture repeatedly came loose during meals. Retention was poor, the denture teeth were worn, and the bite was uneven between the left and right sides.

Taking treatment costs into account, we remade the maxillary denture as a digital suction denture. We focused on retention while coordinating tooth positions and the bite with the mandibular restoration.

The final mandibular restoration was made with a titanium bar and zirconia. The metal visible in the photograph is the titanium bar supporting the zirconia restoration. It was used to provide rigid support for the long restoration and help distribute chewing forces across the implants.

The panoramic image shows the final fixed mandibular restoration. The bite was adjusted to work with the maxillary digital suction denture.

The final photograph shows the maxillary digital suction denture and mandibular All-on-6 restoration in place.

For the maxilla, treatment addressed poor denture retention, worn teeth and an uneven bite. For the mandible, the failing implants were removed and replaced, allowing a fixed restoration to replace the removable partial denture.

The two treatment methods were selected with costs and comfortable eating in mind, and the restorations were adjusted together to establish their bite relationship.