Most people who have lost a full arch of teeth will have replaced them with a full set of dentures. These are usually attached to the gums using suction, sometimes with the addition of a denture adhesive to keep them in place. However, unfortunately, this isn’t always completely successful and the dentures can move, causing significant embarrassment to the wearer if it happens at the wrong time.
While they may not fly across the room when you sneeze, as you may have seen in cartoons, there is no doubt that some people do find dentures to be unstable and this can cause problems eating and even speaking.
You might think that if you lose all of your teeth, there isn’t another option available, but you would be wrong. Dental implants can be used to replace all of your missing teeth, but without the need to replace them all individually. Let us take a look then how the team at Blake Dental can help you replace your missing teeth in one visit, allowing you to leave our Witham dentist with a new fully functional set of teeth.
Most people know dental implants as individual ‘straight swaps’ for a natural tooth that has been lost. Logically then, it wouldn’t be a stretch to think that you would have to replace every missing tooth in this way. Thankfully, this isn’t the case as doing so would be a very invasive procedure and would be extremely expensive indeed. Instead, just a few dental implants are placed into the jawbone and these are used to secure a fixed bridge of replacement teeth into place.
What makes this treatment especially unique is that, unlike individual implants, you don’t have to wait three months for the implant and bone to fuse together to secure the implant into place. This is due to the special implants that are placed towards the rear of the mouth at an angle which enables them to firmly and instantly secure the fixed bridge, together with the other implants placed towards the front of the mouth.
It should be noted that although this is often called an ‘all on four’ procedure, it isn’t unusual for six implants to be used. This will depend on individual circumstances and our implant dentist will be able to advise this at the time.
Once your fixed bridge has been secured by the dental implants, a process sometimes completed in a single visit, you will have a new set of functional teeth that you can use straight away. While, with general implants, you have to be careful about what you eat for a few months to allow the implants to fuse and heal, this isn’t strictly the case with an all on 4 implant procedure.
Having said that, it should be borne in mind that you will have undergone a complex dental treatment so you may experience some residual soreness and discomfort. This will soon go and can be managed with your regular painkillers, but it does make sense to eat a little cautiously initially. For your own comfort and to allow you time to get used to your new replacement teeth, we recommend that you do start with softer foods. We will, of course, advise you about this during your consultation.
In addition to the fact that you get a new set of teeth in just one day, there are a few other benefits which patients of Blake Dental should perhaps also consider.
Unlike individual implant placements, the all on 4 procedure can be used for most people, including those whose bone structure in the jaw is compromised and where a bone graft or sinus lift would be needed with individual implants. Thanks to the special implants used at the rear of the mouth in this procedure, this is less of a concern.
Although this method replaces a full arch of teeth as a full set of dentures does, the fact that implants secure the fixed bridge in place means that it will be completely stable and you don’t need to worry about movement. Although it may feel a bit unusual initially, in the long run, we are sure that you will find that they both feel and look entirely natural.
If you are concerned about the stability of your dentures or are considering what to do after multiple tooth loss, why not contact us for help? We have modern x-ray and digital scanning equipment available to help us determine exactly which treatment will work best for you. To make an appointment with us, please call our Witham dental practice today on 01376 501688 and speak to one of our friendly dental receptionists who will arrange a convenient appointment.
