Implant Dentures in Lanark: Clip It in, and It Stays Put

We do, at Lanark Smile Studios on 72 High Street. An implant-retained denture clips onto implants, so it stays firmly in place while you eat and talk. Dr Kalsi plans where the implants go using our CT scanner, then places them through a 3D-printed guide; a lower denture usually needs two and an upper denture four. Your consultation is free, and you keep wearing your current denture throughout healing. Each step is explained on our implant-retained dentures page.

In Lanark, our implant-retained dentures start at £8,500 per jaw. ¹ Where your fee lands depends mostly on which jaw needs the denture and how many implants will hold it: two is typical for the lower jaw and four for the upper. If a CT scan is needed, it costs £160. After a free consultation you'll receive a fixed fee in writing.

For a lower denture, two implants normally do the job; an upper denture usually needs four. The upper jawbone is softer and less dense, so the force of biting has to be spread over more implants to keep the denture stable. The exact number for you is confirmed by your CT scan. Occasionally we plan a lower denture on more than two implants, for example when the bone is thin or someone bites particularly hard.

No. We make a fresh denture with the clip housings set into it. An old one rarely adapts to an accurate, strong fit, and acrylic worn for years often cracks around the attachments. Your current denture still earns its keep: it sees you through while the implants heal, usually softened with a temporary lining, and many people hang on to it as a spare afterwards.

There's no single right answer. A clip-in denture is cheaper and can be removed for cleaning; fixed teeth stay put and feel more like natural teeth. Implant-retained dentures start at £8,500 per jaw and sit on two to four implants, while fixed full-arch teeth, on four implants (or six on some pathways), start at £9,300 an arch. ¹ They demand more bone (angled implants can make up for a shortfall) and a little more effort to clean underneath. Your scan results, your budget and whether you mind removing teeth at night all play a part, and at your consultation we'll compare both options with you.

Remove it each morning and evening to clean it, and while it's out, brush your gums and the tops of the implants. Clean the denture with a soft brush and a cleaner that isn't abrasive, because normal toothpaste scratches acrylic. The little nylon inserts that grip the implants wear down over time; when the denture starts to feel looser, usually after about a year, they're replaced at a routine appointment. Regular hygiene visits keep the gum around each implant healthy.

The placement itself shouldn't hurt, because local anaesthetic numbs the whole area first. You'll be aware of pressure and a little vibration, but nothing sharp. Working through a 3D-printed guide often needs just a tiny opening in the gum, and that tends to make recovery easier. For the next two or three days most people need nothing stronger than paracetamol or ibuprofen, and after a single implant many return to work within a day or two. If it's the thought of the chair that troubles you, IV sedation costs £500 a session.

Age by itself is not a barrier. Whether implants suit you depends on your health rather than the year you were born. We'll review your general health and any medicines you take, look at the jawbone on your CT scan, and think about whether you, or a carer, can keep the implant clean. A few things call for more careful planning, osteoporosis medication or poorly controlled diabetes among them, and we'll talk these over with you. For young people the limit works the other way: we wait until the jaw has stopped growing, which is normally at 18 or older.