If you're missing some or all of your teeth, both conventional dentures and implant-retained dentures are proven ways to restore a natural-looking smile — the right choice depends on your situation, not on one option being universally better than the other. A conventional denture rests on your gums and comes out for cleaning, while an implant-retained denture clips onto a small number of dental implants placed in the jaw for extra hold. This guide compares how each works, what daily life looks like, and how the process and investment differ, so you have a clearer starting point for a conversation with our denturists. It isn't a substitute for an in-person assessment — just a plain-language look at two solid options.
How Conventional Dentures Work
A conventional denture is a removable appliance that replaces some or all of your natural teeth. A complete denture stays in place mainly through suction and close contact with your gums, while a partial denture often adds clasps that grip your remaining natural teeth for extra hold. Some patients also use a denture adhesive for added confidence, especially with a lower denture, which tends to move more than an upper one simply because there's less surface area for suction to work with. Our denturists take impressions, check your bite, and fine-tune the fit over a handful of visits before the denture is finished. Complete dentures and partial dentures both follow this same general path.
Because a conventional denture doesn't require a surgical step, it's generally the faster route to a finished, functioning set of teeth. It's also removable, so you take it out at night to let your gums rest and clean it separately from the rest of your mouth. Your jawbone and gums naturally change shape over time, so most dentures need periodic adjustment or relining to keep fitting well — that's an expected part of wearing any conventional denture, not a sign that something went wrong.
How Implant-Retained Dentures Work
An implant-retained denture attaches to a small number of dental implants placed in your jawbone, rather than relying on suction or your gums alone. Depending on your mouth, the denture might clip onto a bar that connects the implants, or attach directly to individual implants — our denturists can walk you through which setup suits your case. Because the denture is anchored to bone rather than resting on soft tissue, it tends to move less while you're eating or speaking. That extra stability tends to matter most on the lower arch, where a conventional denture has less surface area to hold onto and often shifts more than an upper one.
It's worth being upfront about the process: placing the implants themselves is a surgical step, and our denturists coordinate that part of your care with trusted dental partners as part of your overall treatment plan. Once the implants have healed and integrated with your jawbone, which takes some time, our denturists design and fit the denture that attaches to them, and our own Ottawa lab crafts it to match. The surgical placement itself is coordinated with our dental partners, not carried out in-house.
Comparing Daily Life
Day to day, the two options can feel quite different. A conventional denture may shift slightly while eating, especially with sticky or firm foods, so many patients adjust their diet a little and chew evenly on both sides. An implant-retained denture generally stays more stable while chewing, which is why patients who've struggled with a loose lower denture often notice the biggest difference. Both options take some getting used to at first — new sensations, a short adjustment period for speaking clearly, and a settling-in stretch while your mouth adapts.
Cleaning routines differ too. A conventional denture comes out for brushing with a denture-specific cleaner and usually soaks overnight while your gums rest. An implant-retained denture also comes out for cleaning in most designs, but you'll also clean around the implant attachments themselves, and our denturists will want to see you periodically to check how the implants and surrounding gum tissue are doing. Neither routine is complicated once it becomes a habit — it's simply a different habit.
Comparing the Path and the Investment
Timeline and investment are often part of the decision. Conventional dentures are typically the faster path: impressions, a try-in, and a finished denture within a handful of visits, with no healing period required beforehand. Implant-retained dentures involve more steps — an assessment, the implant placement itself, a healing period before the implants are ready to bear weight, and then fitting the denture on top. That longer path also tends to mean a higher investment overall, since it includes the implants, their placement, and the attachment components in addition to the denture. Our guide to denture costs in Ottawa walks through the factors that shape the investment for each option, without assuming your treatment plan in advance.
Coverage can also differ by treatment type. If you're eligible for the Canadian Dental Care Plan, CDCP may cover eligible portions of a conventional denture, and we direct-bill CDCP for qualifying patients. Dental implants themselves aren't covered by CDCP, so that part of implant-retained treatment sits outside the plan — our CDCP coverage page walks through exactly what's eligible before you decide.
Which Option Suits You?
Suitability comes down to factors that genuinely need an in-person look: how much jawbone is available to support an implant, the health of your gums, your overall health history, and what matters most to you day to day. For some patients, one path clearly stands out; many others are reasonable candidates for either and end up choosing based on daily-life preferences and the investment they're comfortable making. We can't settle that from a page on a screen — it takes a proper assessment, not a guess.
If you'd like a plain-language walkthrough of complete, partial, and immediate dentures alongside the implant-retained option, our guide to the types of dentures in Ottawa is a good next stop. When you're ready to talk specifics, book a free consultation and our denturists will look at your mouth, answer your questions, and help you weigh the options for your situation.
Reviewed by our licensed denturists · Updated July 2026