There are many situations when full mouth dental implants may be needed. A person suffering from gum disease may have loose or missing teeth, as might someone with heavily decayed teeth. The same can be said for a person suffering the consequences of worn-out teeth caused by bruxism or teeth grinding.
According to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, the country’s adults have an average of 4.5 missing teeth and 1 in 25 people over the age of 15 have no natural teeth remaining. If you’re part of that statistic, you may be interested in how full mouth dental implants can help you.
When you’re missing most or all of your teeth, to bite and chew food with ease, you’re going to need a replacement set of new teeth. And to restore both your confidence and bite functionality, your false teeth must remain in place when you talk, smile, eat and chew. In other words, good replacement teeth should function as closely as possible to natural teeth.
You’ll be pleased to know that full mouth dental implants fulfil all of these criteria and, should a time come when you need them, our dentist is here to oblige.
So, what are full mouth dental implants?
They’re devices used to complete a full-mouth restoration in people that have lost most or all of their teeth. They comprise several dental implants surgically placed into the jaw that support a set of false replacement teeth.
Full mouth dental implants come in two different guises – implant-supported dental bridges and implant-supported full dentures. Both options can be fixed or removable.
Who is eligible for these types of implants?
Because implants are placed into the jawbone and require one or more minor surgeries, patients need to be in relatively good health and able to undergo dental implant surgery.
Patients who have uncontrolled diabetes, heart disease or osteoarthritis, for example. may be better suited to alternative dental treatments such as conventional dentures or bridges.
Furthermore, patients need to have sufficient healthy bone in which to place the implants and be fit enough to heal quickly. For this reason, dentists will examine a patient’s medical history and use advanced technology, including digital scans, CT scans and x-rays, to assess a patient’s suitability for dental implants.
Placing dental implants is a complex task and requires great skill. Dental teams liaise together, planning implant treatment virtually for surgery that is faster, more accurate and more comfortable for patients.
The dental implant procedure – in a nutshell
Once a patient has been given the green light to go ahead with dental implants, here’s what they can expect.
- If necessary, a patient may need a bone graft to supplement their bone before going ahead with dental implant surgery. While this is minor surgery, it will add time and cost to the overall dental implant procedure.
- Once a person has fully healed from their bone graft surgery, they can undergo dental implant surgery. Patients are administered local anaesthesia and sedation if required to keep them relaxed during surgery and free from pain. Most patients tell us that their dental implant surgery was over before they knew it.
- Next, patients enter the healing phase of the dental implant procedure. During this time, the surrounding bone and gum tissue will fuse with the implants to become a permanent fixture in the mouth. The implants then act like natural tooth roots, providing support for the prosthesis (bridge or denture) and stimulating the gums to prevent bone loss and jaw shrinkage.
- Once osseointegration has taken place , and the implants are stable, another minor dental implant surgery may be required to fit abutments to the implants. These tiny components connect the prosthesis to the implants and help distribute bite forces evenly.
- The final stage of the dental implant procedure is to fit crowns, dentures or a bridge to the implants depending on patient needs.
Typically, patients can choose to have fixed or removable replacement teeth, depending on their preference.
The dentist may decide to combine two or more of the procedures, depending on the patient’s condition. The dental implant procedure is relatively painless, thanks to local anaesthetics, dental sedation, and post-surgery medication. Some discomfort is likely to be experienced when the anaesthetic wears off, but this can usually be managed with over-the-counter painkillers and should subside within a few days.
The benefits of full mouth dental implants
The benefits of full mouth dental implants are the same as the benefits of natural teeth, namely:
- Teeth that remain in the mouth when eating and talking
- Teeth that are easy to clean and maintain
- An improved appearance
- Teeth that with good oral health can last decades
- A jawbone that will remain intact
- A more youthful appearance
Get your smile back with full mouth dental implants
It’s hard to enjoy life without a complete set of functioning teeth. Just imagine not eating your favourite foods and having to swap to a soft diet. Not only is such a diet bland, but you could be missing out on vital nutrients contained in a well-balanced diet. Missing teeth also cause bone loss, which leads to the facial structures sagging and giving that sunken look that makes a person look years older than they are.
Get your smile back and regain your confidence with full mouth dental implants from the friendly, experienced dentists at No Gaps Dental.
Note: Any surgical or invasive procedure carries risks. Before proceeding, you should seek a second opinion from an appropriately qualified health practitioner.
References:
Australian Dental Association – How many teeth do you have?
Australian Government Department Health – Dental Health in Australia
NCBI – Bone grafts in dentistry
NCBI – Osseointegration – An update