From Dentures to Fixed Teeth: How Short Implants Change Everything
- Andre Chen
- Aug 23
- 3 min read
From Dentures to Fixed Teeth: How Short Implants Change Everything
When this patient first came to see me, their main wish was simple: “I just want to get rid of this removable denture.”
It wasn’t about vanity, it was about quality of life. The denture was loose, unstable, and prevented proper chewing. Esthetics, function, and health were all priorities — but the dream was to finally live without that prosthesis.
The Starting Point
Medically, the patient was completely healthy — no systemic diseases, no smoking, no risk factors.
Dentally, the history was more complex: multiple teeth lost to caries and failed endodontic treatments, plus light periodontal disease, which we controlled with the dental hygienist before beginning the surgical phase.
Radiographs showed the real challenge:
In the upper jaw, bone loss in the posterior region (#26 and #27) with only 5 mm of residual ridge, extruded teeth, and a constricted arch.
In the lower jaw, the right side had a knife-edge ridge (6–7 mm) that needed reshaping, while the left side showed severe vertical bone loss with only 5 mm above the inferior alveolar nerve.
Traditionally, this kind of case would demand bone grafting, sinus lifts, and multiple surgeries. But that wasn’t what the patient wanted — the goal was a simpler, faster, less invasive solution.
📸 Figure 1: Pre-operative panoramic radiograph
📸 Figure 2: Intraoral pre-operative view
The Surgical Plan
After careful planning, we chose a protocol based on short implants.
Surgery was performed under local anesthesia with articaine, and a minimally invasive flap was raised. Implants were placed in both arches, using advanced Straumann® TLX and BLX designs, which allow for stability even in compromised ridges.
In total, nine implants were placed:
Antibiotic prophylaxis with amoxicillin was started the day before and continued for 7 days.
📸 Figure 3: Surgical flap design
📸 Figure 4: Intraoperative implant placement
Restoration & Rehabilitation
Healing was uneventful, and after 3 months we proceeded with provisionalization using 3D-printed temporary prostheses.
The final restorations were monolithic zirconia (Prettau®) on Variobase abutments, all screw-retained.
From surgery to final teeth, the total treatment time was just 4 months.
📸 Figure 5: Provisional 3D-printed restoration in place
📸 Figure 6: Final zirconia restoration on model
📸 Figure 7: Intraoral view of final prosthesis
📸 Figure 8: Post-operative panoramic radiograph
The Result
The patient couldn’t believe it:
“All my life I was told I would need big surgeries and bone grafts to have fixed teeth. That scared me, and I stayed with my denture for years, even though it caused me so much pain and discomfort. Now, after only one surgery of less than an hour, I can eat everything again — it’s amazing!”
Why Short Implants Matter
This case highlights why modern short implants are game changers:
They reduce surgical morbidity.
They allow fixed solutions in areas of severe bone loss.
When combined with hybrid ceramics, they provide esthetics and function with comfort and speed.
But — and this is important — short implants only succeed if the occlusion is perfectly managed. Controlling contacts in centric and eccentric movements, eliminating interferences, and designing prostheses that are cleansable are all essential.
The aggressive macrogeometry of modern short implants increases the surface area for osseointegration compared to earlier generations, potentially improving stability and survival rates over time.
Conclusion
For this patient, short implants meant freedom from dentures and a new quality of life — without grafting, without fear, and without delay.
Sometimes, the simplest path is also the most powerful.
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