Can You Get Full Mouth Dental Implants?
For people who need to replace all the teeth in one or both of their jaws, full mouth dental implants treatment is the optimal solution, but it’s not without its challenges. Full mouth dental implants require precision and skill, and dentists who perform full mouth dental implant procedures usually have advanced training and board certification, which are necessary to correctly navigate the challenges the treatment poses. The only way to completely restore the function of the teeth is to recreate a dental restoration that is directly modeled after the natural teeth, like full mouth dental restoration. The treatment also results in an optimal appearance and comfortable, natural feel, even when all the natural teeth are missing and need to be replaced. In order to safely get full mouth dental implants, a person should be in good overall health and have an adequate amount of healthy, available bone, so ask your dentist if you want to know if you would be a good candidate.
The planning stage for full mouth dental implants takes a few weeks and begins with an examination that relies on x-rays and CT scans to assess the health of the jaw. The dental implant team will also use various tools, including mock-ups and digital design technologies, to model the way your teeth will look so you can see them before they’re placed and make sure they look like you want them to. If ancillary treatments, like bone augmentation, is necessary, this is factored into the overall treatment. Once the bone and oral cavity are properly prepared, your oral surgeon will place the implants in the jaw; when the upper jaw is being restored, patients get six or eight implants, and in the lower jaw, four to six implants are used. A dental implant is a tiny metal screw that is planted deep in the jawbone, where it fuses together with the bone as the bone heals. While your bone heals and integrates with the implant posts, you’ll get a temporary bridge to wear to protect the implant sites and restore the appearance of the smile.
Once the implant sites have fully healed, the dental implant team will affix dental crowns to the implant posts using tiny screws called abutments. Dental crowns are porcelain teeth that are sturdy and completely natural-looking, and when they are attached to dental implants, they recreate the structure of a natural tooth supported by a tooth root. In some full mouth dental implant treatments, a dental implant could support more than one tooth without compromising integrity or appearance. Dental implants also act like natural teeth, remaining secure while patients bite, chew, smile, and speak, and stimulating the health of the bone tissue that surrounds and supports them.
The health of the oral cavity is integral to the long-term success of dental implants, which can last a lifetime when cared for properly. Full mouth dental implants can be cleaned the same way as the natural teeth, with twice-daily brushing and daily flossing as well as regular visits to the dentist for dental checkups and cleanings. While the crowns themselves won’t decay, gum disease can happen easily in the absence of good oral hygiene, and gum disease left untreated destroys the gums and bone and causes the teeth, or implants, to fall out. In light of the cost of full mouth dental implants, which ranges dramatically depending on several factors but which averages anywhere from $10,000 to $70,000, it’s helpful to remember that they’re an investment in your healthy, happy future, and you need to do your part to keep them healthy and happy, too.
