Yolanda holding a framed photograph of her smile before treatment
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Dentures in McLean & Alexandria, VA

A denture that stays put.

Traditional dentures, snap-in dentures on implants, or fixed teeth that never come out: the ways to replace a full arch, compared by a prosthodontist, the dental specialist in replacing teeth.

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Are Dentures Right for Me?

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What is happening with your teeth?

My denture slips or rubsI want teeth that stay inMy denture is brokenI am losing most of my teeth
Your Options, Weighed

What Each Kind of Denture Does Well

A full arch can be replaced three ways, and each has a real advantage. Dr. Nahlah, a prosthodontist, sets them side by side so you can weigh cost against comfort and staying power.

20%Function · traditional
60%Function · snap-in
98%+Function · fixed arch

The Lowest Cost to Start

Traditional dentures cost the least at the start of any way to replace a full arch, and they qualify for dental financing.

An End to Slipping

A snap-in denture clips onto two or more implants, so it stops moving and still lifts out for cleaning.

Load Back Into the Bone

Anchored to implants, a denture puts load back into the jawbone, which a denture resting on the gums does nothing to provide.

Teeth That Stay In

A fixed zirconia arch on four to eight implants needs no relining and no adhesive, and you care for it like natural teeth.

From Dentures to Fixed Teeth

Years of denture wear often make you a candidate for All-on-4 rather than ruling you out, though some mouths need grafting first.

Help When One Breaks

A broken or damaged denture is treated as an emergency, and space is made to see you the same day wherever possible.

Your Options

What Are Your Denture Options?

Gloved hand holding a full set of conventional removable upper and lower dentures01

Traditional dentures

Acrylic teeth on a base that rests on the gums. The lowest cost, but they move, need relines and repairs, must come out to clean, and do nothing to stop bone loss.

Dentures and implants compared
Lab model of an implant-supported denture clipped onto implant posts, mounted on an articulator02

Snap-in dentures

A removable denture that clips onto two or more implants. It stops slipping, puts load back into the bone and still comes out for cleaning: around 60% of natural function at a moderate cost.

Gloved technician handling a finished full-arch dental prosthesis on a firing tray in a dental lab03

Fixed full arch

Teeth that never come out: a zirconia bridge screwed onto four to eight implants, often All-on-4 with provisional teeth the same day. Over 98% of natural function, at the highest cost.

Artificial teeth arrangement of upper completed denture in articulator04

A broken denture

A broken or damaged denture is one of the emergencies the practice makes room for, the same day wherever possible.

Why Dentures Loosen

Why Do Dentures Get Loose?

Without tooth roots to load it, the jawbone under a denture keeps receding, so the fit loosens. A loose denture rubs, needs adhesive, limits what you eat and has to be relined, and over years the bone loss changes the shape of the face.

A stereo microscope over the bench in the practice's in-house laboratory
Bone checked on a 3D scan
A clinician showing a patient a dental model during a consultation
Second opinions free
A tooth model used to explain treatment
Options shown on a model
Dr. Nahlah with a patient at the practice
Planned by a prosthodontist
Why Choose Us

Why Choose Dr. Nahlah for Your Dentures

A prosthodontist is the dental specialist in replacing teeth. Dr. Nahlah plans dentures and the implants under them at both offices, with a lab in each.

What to askOur practiceOther offices
Who makes itA prosthodontist: the dental specialist in replacing teeth, dentures includedSome leave dentures to a general dentist and an outside lab
Every optionTraditional, snap-in and fixed teeth, compared side by side with the drawbacksSome offer one kind of denture for every case
First visitYour bone checked on a 3D scan and every option shown on a modelSome judge the fit by eye, with no scan of the bone
LabA digital lab in both offices, so shade and fit are corrected while you waitSome send the work out and wait weeks for it
ImplantsDr. Nahlah plans and places them himself, through a computer-generated surgical guideA surgeon, a dentist and an outside lab each handle a part
Hard casesComplex and failed cases accepted, including work other practices declineSome accept straightforward cases only
A broken dentureTreated as an emergency, seen the same day wherever possibleAsk how soon a broken denture can be seen
Second opinionFree; bring your current denture to the visitAsk whether a second opinion carries a fee
Dr. Esam Abou Nahlah in black scrubs with his arm around a smiling patient in the office hallway
Dr. Esam Abou NahlahD.D.S., M.S.
Meet the Doctor

Meet Dr. Esam Abou Nahlah

As an award-winning board-certified specialist in prosthodontic dentistry, Dr. Nahlah provides patients with a premier level of dental care using the industry’s most advanced technology. He has been practicing since 2003, in Northern Virginia since 2013, entirely on prosthodontics. Diplomate of the American Board of Prosthodontics and Fellow of the American College of Prosthodontists. In 2013, the American Board of Prosthodontics awarded Dr. Nahlah the most prestigious award in prosthodontics: “Diplomate of American Board of Prosthodontics.”

Adjunct faculty at Virginia Commonwealth University, teaching the residents in its Prosthodontics Postgraduate Program, and lecturing on smile design and implants.

Across that career, over 18,000 implants placed and over 15,000 arches restored.

Credentials & Certifications

  • Diplomate, American Board of Prosthodontics
  • Fellow, American College of Prosthodontists
  • Adjunct Faculty, VCU Prosthodontics Postgraduate Program
  • Certificate in Prosthodontics
  • M.S., Master of Science in Oral Biology
  • Fellow, International Congress of Oral Implantologists
  • Associate Fellow, American Academy of Implant Dentistry
Meet Dr. Nahlah
Cost

How Much Do Dentures Cost Over Time?

Traditional dentures cost the least at the start. Over the years the relines, repairs and replacements add up, and the bone keeps receding because nothing loads it.

Snap-in dentures sit in the middle: the implants stop the movement and put load back into the bone, though the denture may still need the occasional reline.

A fixed full arch costs the most up front and the least to keep: no relining, no adhesive, and it is cared for like natural teeth. The figure for your mouth is set at the consultation, and financing through Proceed Finance reaches $60,000 over terms of up to 96 months.

Cost and financing in full

What Our Patients Say

Other Options

If a Denture Is Not the Right Fit

Also hereSame-Day ImplantsEmergency DentistryImplant CostFinancingSedation Dentistry
Questions

Denture Questions

Why do dentures get loose?
Because the jawbone they rest on keeps receding once the teeth are gone, and nothing loads it. A reline refits the denture for a while; anchoring it to implants stops the movement.
What are snap-in dentures?
Implant-supported dentures: a removable denture that clips onto two or more implants, so it stops slipping but still comes out for cleaning.Snap-in dentures in detail →
Can I go from dentures to fixed teeth?
Yes. Bone loss from years of wearing a denture often makes you a candidate for All-on-4 rather than ruling you out, and in most cases you leave the surgery wearing fixed provisional teeth. Some mouths need bone grafting first.Same-day implants →
Who should make my dentures?
A prosthodontist: the dental specialist in replacing teeth, dentures included, with three years of training beyond dental school. Dr. Esam Abou Nahlah is a board-certified prosthodontist and sees patients at both offices.What a prosthodontist does →
What if my denture breaks?
Call the office. A broken or damaged denture is treated as an emergency, and space is made to see you the same day wherever possible.Emergency dentistry →
Does insurance cover dentures?
Most PPO dental plans are accepted, and the practice files the claims for you. What your plan covers is gone through at the consultation, along with the price and the financing.
Book a Consultation

Book Online, or Ask Us First

The fit is checked, the bone is scanned, and every option is laid out with its cost. Second opinions are free.