New Hanover County · Since 1987
Implant-Supported Dentures in Wrightsville Beach, NC
An implant-supported denture clips onto two or more implants, so it stops moving when you eat and talk. It is the middle path between a conventional denture and a fixed full arch.
- Three doctors, one location
- Sedation available
- Most major plans accepted
- Written estimates before treatment
The basics of implant-supported dentures
A lower denture resting on the gum has very little to hold on to, which is why so many people give up on theirs. Two implants in the front of the jaw, with attachments that the denture snaps onto, change that completely. An upper can be stabilized the same way, usually with four.
Full detail on implant-supported dentures ›
Why Wrightsville Beach patients come to us for this
Wrightsville Beach has the highest household incomes in the region and a resident base that treats a good smile as part of the package.
Patients here tend to want the durable answer rather than the quick one, and they ask good questions about materials and longevity. We are happy to have that conversation in detail.
Summer traffic on Eastwood Road is worth planning around; a morning appointment is a different journey from a four o'clock one in July.
The island's year-round population is small, so almost everyone here already drives into Wilmington for medical appointments.
Harbour Island and the Banks Channel side send us most of our Wrightsville Beach patients, and the drawbridge is the only real variable in the trip.
We see patients from across Wrightsville Beach and the surrounding area, including Johnnie Mercer's Pier, the Loop, Banks Channel and the 28480 ZIP code.
New Hanover County is the built-out core of the region, growing around one percent a year, with roughly 21 percent of residents over 65 and the highest concentration of employer dental coverage in southeastern North Carolina.
Larger cases are scheduled around your calendar rather than ours, and we will consolidate appointments where the clinical sequence allows it.
Twenty minutes over the drawbridge puts you in a chair with a doctor who does this work every week, not a cosmetic clinic that sees veneers twice a year.
You may be a candidate if
- A lower denture that moves, rubs or needs adhesive
- Missing all the teeth in an arch
- Wanting implant stability without the cost of a fixed full arch
- Being happy to remove the denture at night to clean it
- A current denture that fits well enough to be converted
Your treatment, start to finish
- Consultation and 3D scanCone beam imaging shows where the bone will take an implant.
- Implant placementUsually two implants for a lower, four for an upper, often under sedation.
- HealingA few months while the implants integrate. You wear your denture, relieved over the implant sites.
- AttachmentsThe denture is fitted with housings that snap onto the implants, either your existing one or a new one.
Afterwards
Remove and clean the denture daily, and brush around the implant attachments. The nylon inserts that give the snap wear out and are replaced every year or so; that is routine maintenance, not a failure.
Follow-up visits are short and we will schedule them at the start or end of the day if that works better around your week.
What it costs
Implant-supported dentures cost more than a conventional denture and considerably less than a fixed full arch. Many plans cover part of the denture, and some now contribute to implants. We give you a written estimate covering implants, attachments and the denture, and go through monthly financing at the consultation.
We can sequence larger cases across two benefit years where the clinical situation allows it, which puts two annual maximums against the same plan of treatment.
In their own words
Hear from Dr. Carter Lee
Dr. Lee on fixing only what needs fixing, and what it is like to hand a patient the mirror after a smile transformation.
Questions we get asked
Is the surgery painful?
Placing two implants is a shorter procedure than most people expect, and sedation is available. Most patients describe a few days of soreness.
What is the difference between snap-in dentures and All-on-4?
Snap-in dentures clip onto implants and come out for cleaning. An All-on-4 bridge is screwed to the implants and stays in. The snap-in option needs fewer implants and costs less.
How far is your office from Wrightsville Beach?
About 10 miles, or roughly 20 minutes via Eastwood Road (US-74) over the Heide Trask Drawbridge. We are at 1301 Physicians Dr in Wilmington, with parking at the door.
Do you see patients from Wrightsville Beach?
Regularly. Wrightsville Beach is part of our core service area in New Hanover County, and twenty minutes over the drawbridge puts you in a chair with a doctor who does this work every week, not a cosmetic clinic that sees veneers twice a year.
What are your hours?
Monday through Thursday, 8:00am to 5:00pm, and Friday, 8:00am to 12:00pm. Outside those hours, leave a message or use the appointment request form and we will come back to you with the first available time.
Implant-Supported Dentures · Wrightsville Beach, NC
You have probably been told several different things about this.
Bring the opinions you have already been given. We will look at your scan with you and say which parts we agree with.
- Three doctors, 50+ years of combined experience
- Implant surgery and restoration in one building
- Sedation available for longer appointments
- Written, phased treatment plans with costs attached
Worried it is too much work at your age? Health matters far more than the number, and we will tell you if we think a smaller plan serves you better.
Request an appointment
We reply the next business day.
Please do not include Protected Health Information. For anything urgent, call (910) 762-0958.
