Overdenture attachments are essential components in contemporary dental prosthetics, providing the necessary stability and retention for removable dentures. Among the various systems available, Ball and Loc (Locator® compatible) attachments stand out for their reliability and ease of use. In this OEMDent.com blog post, we will delve deep into the intricacies of these two types of attachments, exploring their configurations and detailing the various accessories and components that enhance their functionality.
Ball Overdenture Attachments
The Ball attachment system is specifically designed for tissue and implant-supported overdentures, typically utilized with two or more relatively parallel implants. The core components of this system include a male component, which is a ball-shaped element placed on the implant, and a female component, a socket-shaped part attached to the denture. These components lock together, creating a secure and stable connection that ensures firm retention and stabilization of the overdenture.
Ball attachments are manufactured from Titanium Grade 5. They are supplied with an abutment fixation screw SA for use with angulated abutments, with a recommended torque tightening of 25 Ncm.
Loc (Locator® compatible) Overdenture Attachments
The Loc (Locator® compatible) attachment system is designed to secure a removable prosthesis, offering a reliable and stable connection between the denture and the dental implant. Like the Ball attachment system, it consists of a male component placed on the implant and a female component on the denture. When these two parts click together, they form a secure connection that provides excellent retention for the overdenture.
Locator® compatible overdenture attachments are also made from Titanium Grade 5, and include an abutment fixation screw SA for angulated abutments, with a recommended torque tightening of 25 Ncm.
Accessories and Components
- Extra Soft Silicone Cap: Designed for both Ball and Loc attachment systems. For Ball attachments, the cap features a retention force of 0.5kg, while for Loc attachments, it provides 0.6kg of retention and is also yellow. These caps are made from silicone, ensuring biocompatibility and stress reduction.
- Soft Silicone Cap: Offers a soft retention force, with the Ball attachment version providing 0.9kg of retention in pink and the Loc attachment version offering 1.2kg of retention, also in pink. These caps are similarly made from silicone, featuring shape memory to reduce stress.
- Standard Silicone Cap: Designed to provide standard retention for both Ball and Loc overdenture attachments. The Ball attachment version offers 1.3kg of retention and is clear, while the Loc attachment version provides 1.8kg of retention and is also clear. Both versions are made from silicone, ensuring biocompatibility and stress reduction.
- Laboratory Use Silicone Cap: Available for overdenture attachment systems, with no retention force. The Ball attachment version is black, and the Loc attachment version is also black, both designed to reduce stress during laboratory procedures.
- Strong Silicone Cap: Exclusive to the Loc attachment system, providing rigid retention with a force of 2.7kg in violet. Made from silicone, it ensures biocompatibility and reduces stress on the attachments.
- Protective Disk: Designed for both Ball and Loc overdenture attachment systems and is made from silicone. The Ball attachment version is clear, while the Loc attachment version is pink, both helping to reduce stress on the attachments.
- Metal Housing: Suitable for both overdenture attachment systems and is made from stainless steel, offering high stability. The Ball attachment version is regular Ø2.5mm, while the Loc attachment version is available in a similar size. These housings can be applied by welding or bonding.
- Ball Attachment Analog: Provides an exact replica of the ball attachment abutment, with a length of 15.1mm and made from stainless steel, ensuring accurate replication of the implant position.
- Loc Attachment Analog: Made from Titanium Grade 5 with a height of 10.4mm, provides a replica of the implant position, ensuring accurate planning and fabrication of the prosthesis.
- Ball Attachment Impression Coping Transfer: Made from stainless steel and designed to duplicate a life retention cap and metal housing, providing active retention during the placement impression and ensuring the exact placement impression and positioning of the metal and retentive cap.
- Impression Coping Transfer for Loc Attachment: Made from acetal polymer and is used in closed tray impressions and the pick-up impression technique. The cap stays in the impression coping to prevent further movement, providing much better accuracy, stability, and predictable results. This method ensures exact place orientation without additional working time, allowing impressions to be made directly in the dentist's office without interfering with the technician's lab.
- Insertion and Extraction Driver for Ball Attachment: Made from stainless steel, fits all Ball overdenture attachment caps in diameters Ø2.5mm and Ø1.8mm. This versatile tool is used for inserting and extracting normal size and micro size caps. The change of tool designation is straightforward, involving reversing the metal part. It is also used for inserting or extracting silicone caps into the model or metal housing.
- Insertion and Extraction Driver for Loc Attachment: Made from stainless steel, is used for inserting or extracting silicone caps into the model or metal housing. This driver is 7.5cm in height and offers high corrosion resistance, ensuring the silicone caps are sealed with light pressure.
Conclusion: Importance of Overdenture Attachments
In this OEMDent.com blog post, the Ball and Loc (Locator® compatible) attachments are prominently featured as integral to the success of overdentures, providing the necessary stability and retention that patients require. These overdenture attachments are supported by a range of accessories that enhance their functionality. By understanding the components and accessories associated with these overdenture attachment systems, dental professionals can make informed decisions to optimize patient outcomes, ensuring secure and stable connections for implant-supported overdentures. The addition of specific tools and drivers further simplifies the insertion and extraction processes, making these overdenture attachment systems highly efficient and user-friendly for both practitioners and patients.
