FULL ARCH DENTAL IMPLANTS

If you have lost all your teeth in one or both jaws, you can choose a permanently anchored dental implant bridge or a removable denture stabilised by dental implants (an overdenture).

An implant-stabilised denture is more firmly held in the mouth than a regular denture. The permanently anchored dental implant bridge is the closest to the natural teeth if and when the prerequisites are met. It is fixed in place and does not need to be taken out at night.

Full arch of teeth

For a permanently anchored dental implant bridge, several dental implants are placed to support and retain the bridge. Because the dental implants are anchored in the jawbone, they stimulate the bone tissue and help to maintain healthy bone levels and facial structures. The usual number of implants would be between four and eight, depending on the jaw shape and size and the number of teeth needed.

 

"Teeth-in-a-day"

It can be possible to place the implants into the jaw AND attach a bridge to them in 24-24 hours so that the patient has fixed teeth straightaway and does not have to wait until the implants have fused with the jawbone. The bone has to be a certain shape and a certain density to allow this, but is a fast and powerful way of giving someone confidence in their teeth again.

Read more on teeth in a day

Conventional Full Arch Bridge

If the criteria are not met to attach a bridge straight to the implants, then they are left under the gum to integrate with the bone in the usual way and a denture is worn over the top to allow the patient to maintain their appearance during the bone-fusion phase.

After the bone and the implants are connected, the abutments are attached to the dental implants and the bridge is fitted in place. All dental work is performed according to your prerequisites and wishes. Impressions, trials of the proposed tooth shapes and positions, and fittings will require a few separate visits to the clinic and the time from exposure to finish might be six weeks.

Overdenture

An overdenture involves installing two or more dental implants which will be used to hold the denture in place securely.

For the overdenture, either ball abutments or a small bar between the abutments are used. The denture is fitted with sockets inside it to clip onto the implants and reduce any movement of the denture during function. This is much more secure than without implants, but some minute amounts of movement will still occur.

After fitting of the bridge or overdenture

The dental implant bridge, or the overdenture, is now in place. It looks and functions like normal teeth. You can now eat whatever you like and laugh without having to worry about the prosthesis falling out.

Surgery time is dependent on how many dental implants are being inserted and whether any bone grafting is required. Some small levels of discomfort might be experienced in the first week after surgery. After a week any remaining stitches are removed and the gum returns to normal within a day or two.

© Dr Andrew Murphy and Dr Deepi Murphy 2015 | Privacy Policy

 

Design by Dental Media

 





Please Tick The Captcha Box Below Before Submitting - Thank You!

required fields marked *