Everyone hopes that multiple tooth loss doesn’t happen and ideally, we will keep all of our natural teeth throughout our life. This is probably a little unlikely, although we can certainly do what we can to aim for this with good brushing, flossing and regular checkups. Life doesn’t always go to plan though and, for a number of reasons, we may find that our teeth either fall out or have to be removed prematurely.
Especially if this happens due to an accident or perhaps the side effects of medical treatment, it can be very upsetting and, understandably, you would want to do something about it. For today’s blog then, we will take a look at the options available.
One tooth replacement option that people sometimes consider is a traditional bridge. However, with full arch tooth loss, there will be no natural teeth to attach the bridge to, so unfortunately this one is a non starter in this particular scenario.
When full mouth restoration is required, the first thing that most patients think of is dentures. This is understandable, and any adult knows what these are. Dentures have been around a very long time, stretching back into ancient times, albeit in a very rudimentary form. Modern dentures have had the benefit of technical advances and can now look very natural and offer a greater degree of comfort than in the past. Some are even designed to be flexible and move with the mouth.
The advantages of dentures is that they often don’t require invasive dentistry and can be the most readily affordable tooth replacement option available.
These advantages do come with a number of caveats though. Not everybody gets on well with dentures. For some people, they can tend to become unstable and move around in the mouth, especially when eating or speaking. People often blame the dentures but the reality is that this is likely to be caused by small changes in the shape of the face following tooth loss. The jawbone will lose density over time as it no longer has to fill the role of securing a tooth root into place. As we will see, this is one area where dental implants and teeth in a day have a great advantage.
Finally, dentures are fiddly and, although they may be the most immediately affordable option, they are prone to damage, especially being dropped when cleaning. They may also need adjustments over the years and all of this has to be paid for. With teeth in a day, this is usually a one off payment with no significant follow up costs.
Let us now take a look at perhaps the less well known option, but one that we feel is the best option for many patients. Teeth in a day; also known as ‘same day teeth’ or ‘all on 4’, provides an extremely secure way to replace a full mouth of missing teeth. People sometimes think that to do this using dental implants, each replacement tooth has to be placed individually. This is not the case and would be highly invasive and expensive if it were.
Teeth in a day is called that because, following consultations etc, you can attend Blake Dental with no teeth (perhaps wearing temporary dentures) and just a few hours later, leave our Witham dental practice with a full set of functional teeth. Unlike individual implant placements there is no need to wait a few months for the teeth to fuse with the bone they have been placed into. In theory, you can eat just as you used to do. However, we do recommend that our patients start by eating softer foods until healing is complete and they feel comfortable and confident again.
Depending on the situation, usually four, but sometimes six, dental implants are placed at strategic places on each jaw arch. This is done using a local anaesthetic and you should feel no significant discomfort during this. There will be sounds and vibrations but modern local anaesthetics are very powerful and no pain should be felt.
Once the dental implants have been placed, your new teeth can be fitted. These come in the form of a fixed bridge of replacement teeth which are attached to the dental implants. A similar thing can be done to stabilise dentures too. Once these are attached and final checks are made, you can leave the practice with your new teeth, just a few hours after arriving.
As the implants now, in effect, replace the roots of teeth, this helps to minimise any bone loss in the arches of the mouth. Combined with the secure fusion of implants and bone, this means that your new teeth should remain stable and secure for a long time, enabling you to eat confidently with no movement of the teeth when speaking or eating.
Your new teeth will not decay of course, but it is still important that you take care of them, and especially the gums. This means brushing and seeing the hygienist to have your gums professionally cleaned every six months or so. It is important too that you stop smoking, or if you feel you can’t do that, cut down significantly. This and other topics will be discussed during the consultation stage.
This is a very successful procedure, with a low failure rate. In the rare cases that they do fail, this is mostly due to poor aftercare by the patient so we do recommend that you follow any aftercare advice that is given. While the initial cost of this treatment is higher than dentures, it is rare for any adjustments etc to be needed, so there are usually no additional costs. We also offer a range of payment plans to help you spread the cost of your treatment.
Losing all of your teeth doesn’t have to condemn you to a ‘toothless grin’ or a lifetime of potentially problematic dentures. We can help to restore your mouth and give you the confidence to eat and smile again with the teeth in a day procedure.
For more information about this treatment, or for any other, please do get in touch. You can contact us by calling our Witham dental practice on 01376 501688.
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Katie Annabel Blake trading as Blake Dental is an Introducer Appointed Representative of Financing First Limited, which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Katie Annabel Blake is a credit broker, not a lender. The provider of a payment scheme which is not offered through or by Financing First Limited may not be so authorised and regulated.
