Ramus Frame Implants – A “One Piece Titanium Rail”
These are specifically designed for the lower jaw where no natural teeth remain or will remain. Ramus frame implants are constructed out of titanium, a metal which is very compatible with the human body’s tissues. Suspended just above the gum tissue of a patient, a Ramus frame implant is a one-piece rail that is used to address issues concerning dentures that do not fit properly. It provides extremely strong and long lasting support for a removable lower overdenture. Uniquely for overdentures this modality provides even support along the whole of the denture so there is not rocking or tilting of the denture. This is due to the design of the frame which gives a tri-podial support from the both sides of the jaw at the back and in the chin at the front.
Patients who wear dentures for years may experience shrinking gums , in which case conventional dental implants cannot be effectively placed and used. Ramus frame implants provide an ideal solution for patients who experience problems with wearing dentures; these problems may include the following:
• Difficulty in chewing food;
• The development of sore spots resulting from wearing the dentures; and
• A general impossibility in wearing the dentures for long periods of time.
Steps in the Placement of Ramus Frame Implants
1. The dentist or dental surgeon makes three incisions in the gums, in preparation for the placement of the ramus frame implants. The incisions are typically made in both sides of the jaw at the back, as well as in the middle part in the front – to be able to provide excellent support for the implant. .
2. The Ramus frame implant is then carefully secured and placed into the three gum incisions that the dentist or dental surgeon has previously made. Temporary dentures are usually placed on top of the ramus frame implant immediately, which will then need a healing period of three months; this healing period will allow the dental implant to successfully integrate into the surrounding tissue.
3. A patient’s existing dentures – or a newly created set – will be attached firmly and securely into the ramus frame implant rail using a locking device, resulting in an extremely secure bite for the patient that feels solid and natural.
