What is a Locator Attachment?
The Locator prosthesis is a valued solution for patients who are completely edentulous (complete tooth loss) or whose remaining teeth are not worth preserving. If you already have lost all your teeth or you know that this will be the case soon, it is worth planning in advance what type of solution you will choose to maintain your ability to eat, talk, and smile. The two main choices you will have is traditional removable dentures (false teeth) or implant-supported dentures. If you chose implants, and know this in advance, your dentist can begin preparing your mouth for the implants. If you, in consultation with your dentist, decide that you want to replace your teeth with a more fixed and convenient solution than traditional dentures, here, you have a few options. You can choose a fixed set of dentures on implants, or you can choose removable dentures on 4 implants, which use a combined fixed-removable denture with an attaching element. One of the most popular attachment methods for the prostheses is the Locator method.
Locator Attachment
The locator attachment works similar to the snaps on clothing and the prosthesis (false teeth) makes a characteristic "click" when inserted. With the Locator Attachment as the attachment device, the entire treatment process from extraction (if needed) to a new smile, can be quite short and lasts about 4 months. With the locator method, up to four implants per jaw are placed in an edentulous mouth. Thanks to modern implant methods, treatment techniques, and 3D planning, the right dentists can usually- unlike before - do implant treatments without expensive and lengthy bone augmentation and complicated procedures - even with severe bone loss. After a healing period of about 3 months, the exchangeable holding elements, the locators, are attached. This structural element attached to the implant has a so-called patrix at the end, which affixes securely to another piece of the attachment apparatus that is built into a set of prosthetic teeth.
Benefits of Removable Dentures Using the Locator Attachment
Because the system is anchored to the jawbone in the upper jaw, your dentist can reduce the palatal plate, which is present on traditional dentures. This plate is one of most common complaints of denture-wearers, because it can be irritating, and is responsible for the foreign body sensation in the mouth and the impairment of taste perception. The sturdiness in removable dentures comes from the implants and not a plate, so the prostheses do not need them.
The new prosthetic teeth are specially designed and made for your mouth and will function and look very similar to your natural teeth. This is because the Locator attachment allows you to have removable dentures without dealing with a palate, which is a necessary part of traditional dentures.
Fixing the prosthesis on the implants guarantees patients increased comfort, provides the desired stability, and restores the correct chewing function. Word pronunciation is also clearer for a lot of people because the prosthesis does not slip around in the mouth. If you are interested in having a more convenient way of improving your health and smile, we suggest you speak to your dentist about any options you might have.