A GUIDE TO
PERMANENT DENTURES


What Are Permanent Dentures?
Live an active lifestyle without worrying about your teeth. Permanent dentures are a set of natural-looking teeth locked down by dental implants. Dr. Korwin can replace missing teeth with permanent ones. With more than 35 million Americans missing teeth, most opt for removable dentures.
Old-Fashioned Dentures vs Permanent Dentures
Let’s compare traditional, removable dentures with permanent ones:
Old-Fashioned (Removable) Dentures:
- Jawbone decreases over time, making them ill-fitting and needing frequent replacement
- Limited foods you can chew – reduced nutrition
- Inhibits taste of foods
- Can be loose, wobble when talking or eating
- Requires creams and adhesives
- Often need to be remade or relined
- Cost less, but less effective
Implant Dentures:
- Looks, feels like natural teeth
- No awkward fit or slippage
- Resume active lifestyle free of worry
- Long-term investment, likely don’t need replacing
- Eat whatever foods you like
- No need for creams or adhesives
- Maintain your jawbone structure
- No saggy jawbone means you look younger



How do regular dentures stay in?
The inside of an upper denture covers the roof of the mouth. When the denture is pressed up into the roof of the mouth it pushes some of the gum tissue out of the way creating a vacuum suction effect. This suction keeps the denture in place. The amount of suction depends on how much of the “ridge” is left.
The “ridge” is the area of gums and bone that remains after all of the teeth are removed. Here are examples of a lot of ridge and very little ridge.In the first image the “roof of the mouth part” of the denture will be very tall and convex and can easily be pressed into the roof of the mouth to create suction. In the second image the ridge is almost flat. That means that the inside of the denture is also flat and therefore the denture can not be pushed up into the roof of the mouth as much and will not have any suction.
A lower denture stays on in a different way. Since there is no roof of the mouth on bottom, the lower denture relies on long extensions beyond the ridge to hold it in. These long extensions, flanges in dental speak, extend underneath the tongue so the tongue holds them down. They also extend as far back as possible to increase the amount of “grip” they have. This is also dependent on how much ridge is left. The more ridge the taller the flanges can be and the better the denture will stay put.
What happens to the ridge?
Over time the ridge starts to disappear. Your body was designed for teeth, not dentures, and the pressure of dentures causes the ridge to disappear at a very fast rate. Even without wearing dentures the ridge disappears over time, but dentures greatly accelerate the process. If you wear dentures or talk to a denture wearer, they’ll probably tell you that when the dentures were made they fit perfectly and 5 years later they’re very loose and require denture adhesive to stay in. The dentures haven’t changed, the ridge has shrunk.
How do implant dentures stay in?
There are a few ways that implant dentures can stay in. They can be permanently screwed in (“fixed”) or they can be removable. Whether or not someone can have a “fixed” denture depends on a number of factors, but the most important is how many implants are placed. Since it’s never removed it needs more implants to support it. More implants obviously increases the cost.
Whether with “snaps” or something else, the other option is a removable denture that no longer relies on suction to keep it in. Because of this the upper denture no longer needs to cover the roof of the mouth and the whole denture can feel smaller and more natural. The implants are placed under your gums and they stick out with a button attachment on them. The inside of the denture has the other side of the button and they snap together to stay in.
In the image below the black circles in the denture are one half of the button. The side view shows the other side of the button (the gold cap) sticking through the gums from a side view.
For a fixed option, the buttons are changed to screws and the part that sticks through the gums is a screw hole.
Implants provide a big advantage in and of themselves because they mimic a tooth root. Your body thinks it’s a tooth and the ridge does not disappear in the area around the implant.

Dr. Korwin is part of the one percent of dentists worldwide who have achieved dual Mastership Awards from The International College of Oral Implantologists and the Academy of General Dentistry. Additionally, he is a board member of the American Society for the Advancement of Anesthesia in Dentistry, and has received special training to ensure that his patients receive pain-free care at his dental practice.
“With these new procedures, we’re able to help patients realize that they don’t have to live with a toothless smile or cumbersome dentures for the rest of their lives,” said Dr. Robert Korwin. “But best of all, we can ease their worry about any pain involved with the implant procedure because there is virtually none. We love to see our patients not only completely satisfied with their new smile, but pleasantly surprised at the lack of pain and anxiety involved in the process.”
Patient review of Dr. Robert Korwin’s dental implant procedures
“I was devastated over losing my teeth and very self-conscious about my smile, but Dr. Korwin fixed my teeth and gave me a beautiful smile,” said. A.M., a patient of Dr. Robert Korwin in Red Bank, NJ. “Dr. Korwin took the time with me and gave me options that I didn’t know were possible with my teeth and smile. All of my treatment was explained, was very comfortable and also painless. Because of Dr. Korwin, I’m no longer anxious about going to the dentist and I have a healthy mouth and a great smile.”
Dr. Korwin completed his dental education at the University of Pennsylvania School of Dentistry and has been treating patients in the Red Bank, New Jersey area since 1985. In addition to dental implants, Dr. Korwin and his staff provide a variety of other cosmetic dental services including crowns, bridges, veneers, denture, and more. He is known for using the most advanced dental technology, including air-abrasion decay removal, laser gum treatment, intra-oral cameras, and more. He is heavily involved in the advancement of dental technology and holds three dental patents. His work has been published in the Journal of Dental Research, the Journal of Continuing Dental Education, and the Penn Dental Journal. - KCBD
About Robert Korwin DMD MAGD MICOI
Dr. Korwin is one of only 8 implant dentists in the world who has qualified for the prestigious dual Mastership Awards from The International College of Oral Implantologists and the Academy of General Dentistry.
About Advanced Dentistry with a Gentle Touch
Established in 1983, Advanced Dentistry with a Gentle Touch serves patients from the following counties in New Jersey: Monmouth, Ocean, Middlesex and the following cities: Red Bank, Middletown, Navesink, Belford, Leonardo, Port Monmouth, Keansbery, Holmdel, Lincroft, Atlantic Highlands, Hazlet, Fair Haven, Keyport, Little Silver, Srewsbury, Rumson, Fort Monmouth, Eatontown, Highlands, Cliffwood
Watch how patients love their results from All-on-4 with Dr. Korwin!
Before & After All-on-4 with Dr. Korwin




