NUMEROUS international reports have established and even confirmed that there is a global trend of increased longevity among the elderly, especially in developed and developing countries.
It, therefore, seems logical to assume that dentists will continue to enrich the quality of patients’ lives via traditional techniques of prosthetic rehabilitation. However, population groups exist that simply cannot benefit from current treatment techniques.

Many elderly patients already have no natural teeth and wear complete dentures with different degrees of success. Many elderly patients are edentulous (missing teeth) and may be unable to avail themselves of methods for retaining their remaining teeth. Clinical wisdom would suggest immediate denture therapy for such patients particularly if advanced gum disease is present.
For people who have lost most of their teeth to obtain this satisfaction with dentures, it is important that the remaining teeth be preserved no matter what condition the crown may be. If strategically located, these teeth may be retained and prepared for abutment service as adjunctive means of support under partial or complete overdentures.

When correctly applied, the mechanical principles of partial or complete denture treatment are purported to virtually guarantee a happy coexistence between dentures and their host tissues. As a result, dentists have been remarkably successful in convincing themselves, if not always their patients, that technically well-made removable dentures can be worn satisfactorily and perhaps even indefinitely.

According to reports, evidence reveals that while it is difficult to define denture satisfaction, a significant number of patients in all age groups are dissatisfied with their dentures. Furthermore, many elderly patients have trouble attaining comfortable and efficient oral function with removable dentures.

The important relationship between adequate oral function and proper digestion and nutrition is well documented. Since the greater the life expectancy of toothless patients is likely to increase, the risk of denture dissatisfaction and its functional implications can only be prolonged. This risk is particularly compelling in the context of denture-supporting tissues’ vulnerability to adverse changes because of long-term denture wear.

There seems to be a tendency for the all-or-none rule where retaining teeth is concerned. It is commonly believed that it is better to extract all one’s teeth and wear total dentures rather than keeping a few and wearing a partial one; well, that belief might have been justified twenty years ago, but not today.

Modern dentistry has made sure that elderly patients with no teeth are by no means in an irremediable situation, no matter how hopeless their condition might appear. Various techniques, albeit somewhat inaccessible to the average person, exist that can significantly take care of seemingly impossible circumstances. One such method is placing mini-implants to semi-permanently retain complete or partial dentures.