To Bar or Not to Bar?: Indications for Bar Overdentures

Although the sexy thing is All on X these days, I think that removable overdentures are so valuable and underrated. The treatment is relatively easy to do and the nice thing is that you’ll have much fewer emergencies with it.

So, why did I choose to use a bar here? I’ll tell you why:

So here are my criteria for deciding between bar overdenture or regular overdenture:

You should consider a bar when:

1) The implants are divergent implants
2) Patient has a very resorbed jaw.
3) Working on the Maxilla

You can only do a bar if:

1) The patient will be able to be diligent with home care.
2) You have enough restorative space!!!!!!

A bar can make the denture very stable. And it's nice to be able to seat a denture without worrying about tissue. Also, in the maxilla, where you have softer bone, a bar helps distribute the load to protect each implant individually.

But, I usually go NO-bar

Even though I listed a bunch of benefits of a bar, for most cases I usually go the non-bar route. Bars complicate the restorative process and take up too much restorative space for my liking. A simple snap-on denture is easier in terms of maintenance and complications management.

So, yes, bars are an awesome solution for overdentures in the select scenarios that I listed above, otherwise, it’s no-bar for me!

Our next open enrollment date is April 15th!

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