Too much chair time on Locator® Overdentures?

Implants and Locator® brand Overdentures are unquestionably one of the best things that have happened to removable dentistry - especially on the mandibular arch.

In addition to the clinical benefit, the economic benefit to your practice can be quite compelling. The conversion of existing dentures and the fabrication of new implant supported dentures is often a fee for service option and not dictated by insurance reimbursements.

So what’s stopping doctors from offering this service? In many cases, we’ve seen frustration with the chair time necessary to insert locator attachments. Self cure acrylic can lead to slight distortions, which over time lead to unstable attachments. The key to saving chair time is to get the lab to do most of the work. And to verify and re-verify the position of the abutments:

Here’s a technique we’ve found to be consistent and easy:

Step 1: Ask the lab for a custom tray

Step 2: Take a PVS impression using impression copings part # 8505.

Step 3: Ask the lab to return the base plate with the male housings in the base plate. This allows for a better bite, and verification of abutment position.

Step 4: Try in setup with male housings in place. This allows for a second verification of abutment position.

Step 5: Lab processes with housings and final plastic males.

The key is the verification. Once abutment position is verified twice, the insertion visit can be as short as ten minutes! And patient’s are thrilled!