While losing a single tooth isn’t much fun, you can still eat, drink, and smile as normal. But if you lose several teeth, things may get a little harder.
Losing several teeth in the upper or lower jaw:
- can make it difficult to chew and enjoy the foods you liked when you had all your teeth
- may feel uncomfortable or even painful, as more of your gum is exposed
- can affect your self-esteem and willingness to smile.
Eventually, losing multiple teeth can lead to the jaw bone shrinking. The jaw relies on the chewing action to keep it strong and active. But if that isn’t happening (because there are no teeth to chew with), the face can start collapsing in on itself, resulting in an aged look.
Enter modern dentistry and tooth replacement treatments
When you lose a tooth (or multiple teeth), there are a few things you can try to carry on eating, smiling, and chewing your friend’s ear off as normal.
One option is to get dentures. These can be full-arch dentures made of acrylic, or partial dentures that can either be made out of acrylic or have a cobalt chrome framework. In either case, the denture is removable.
A fixed option is a bridge. The teeth on either side of a gap are prepared for crowns, and then a ceramic bridge is fabricated and cemented onto the teeth to fill the gap. But while this can work for one or two missing teeth, this option may not be as predictable if more teeth are missing.
Another option is to get full-mouth implants. When you’ve got several teeth missing from the upper or lower jaw, All on 4 (a common name given to full-mouth implants) may be better than getting several individual ones.
Full-mouth implants involve fitting 4 or more titanium screw-like implants into your jaw bone. A row of prosthetic teeth—called a bridge—is then fitted into the implants so you can crack on with life as normal.
These are considered a more permanent tooth-replacement option because once they’re in, they’re in. The implant performs the same function as the root of a natural tooth.
The 5 steps to getting full-mouth dental implants
Understanding what’s involved in this tooth replacement treatment can help you work out whether it’s the right option for you. The whole process can take several months, and has 5 clear stages.
Step 1: Initial consultation
Before starting treatment, it’s important to work out whether you’re a good candidate. Your dentist will:
- look at your teeth
- take scans and x-rays of your gums and jawbones
- talk to you about your lifestyle (e.g. whether you smoke, which can affect implant success)
- discuss any current oral health challenges that need addressing.
Your dentist will let you know whether it’s right for you within the first hour of your first face-to-face consultation. If it’s not, your dentist can explore other workable options based on what they’ve learned.
Step 2: Planning for implant surgery
The key to successful implant treatment is making sure the implants are going into a strong and healthy mouth. Pre-surgery groundwork includes:
- treating existing gum disease
- taking detailed 3D scans of your mouth using an intraoral scanner
- printing a 3D surgical guide, which is used to position your implants correctly
- designing your temporary and final full-arch teeth or dental bridge
- completing extra dental work such as tooth extraction, sinus lift, or gum and bone grafting.
Planning gives us the information we need about the shape of your mouth and bite, and ensures the implants will go into healthy bone. We’ll create the surgical guide from the scans, and mill both the temporary and final dental bridge.
Step 3: Fitting the implants
Tooth extractions, grafting treatment and sinus lifts can be done while we’re placing your implants. This keeps the time you’re in the treatment room to a manageable amount. Once the implants are in, we’ll fit your temporary arch, which is made from acrylic. These teeth are robust, so you can keep eating, drinking and smiling while the bone and gums fuse around the implants. (It takes around 3 months.)
However, acrylic teeth aren’t built to last forever. But that’s okay, because your final arch will be.
Step 4: Final bridge placement
Your final prosthetic teeth will be milled from zirconia ceramic. This material is stronger than acrylic, and lasts longer. But the real benefit is it looks and feels more like natural teeth. During this appointment, we’ll explain what you need to do at home to keep your new teeth looking great.
Step 5: Routine checkup
Around two weeks after we fit your final bridge we’ll invite you in for a check-up. We’ll make sure everything is healing correctly, and fine-tune your full arch or bridge if you’re feeling any discomfort.
Is this the best treatment for you?
Now that you know what full-mouth dental implants are, it’s important to weigh up the final investment: do you have the time and the dollars?
At Keppel Dental we’re very open about the cost involved and the care we provide to our patients. You’ll find all the details on our dedicated All on 4 page.
Delivering dental implant treatment and care in Central Queensland
Getting dental implants isn’t something you do on a whim. Treatment costs, expected outcomes and time needed all need to be understood, evaluated and planned for before hitting ‘go’.
Whether you’re at the start of your dental implant journey or ready to take the next step, Keppel Dental can help. Using the latest digital dentistry technologies and high-quality dental implant products, we can deliver the best dental implant care possible for patients in Central Queensland and beyond.
Contact us, and one of our friendly staff will book your free first consultation with me, Dr Luke. We’ll discuss the procedure, timelines and estimated cost for your treatment, along with any concerns you have.
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