March 29, 2024

There are many situations in which the natural teeth become damaged or are unable to be saved, and it may require extraction of all of the teeth. When this occurs, the two solutions available are to get a full set of dentures for the top and bottom teeth or to have a complete set of dental implants installed to replace all of the teeth. According to a group of dentists who perform dental implants in North York, around 4% of people above the age of 75 have no teeth at all and require dental implant surgery.

Dental Implants for the Whole Mouth

When are Whole Mouth Implants Required?

 In some situations, the teeth may become too damaged to repair. This often occurs where trauma has occurred to the mouth and damaged several of the teeth, where dental decay is extensive, the teeth may be removed over an extended period, one or two at a time as they damage become irreversible, yet either of these result in the removal of all teeth within the mouth.

Once all teeth have been extracted, there can be an installation of a set of dental implants. These will require the installation of support posts for each tooth, for a whole mouth; this most often requires four posts on the top that are secured into the upper jaw bone, and four on the bottom that is installed and attached to the bottom jaw bone.

What Steps Are Required?

 The first step is to have all of the teeth extracted. Once all teeth have been removed, the gums can be allowed to heal fully, or the implant posts may be installed directly after the extraction. In either situation the gums will be allowed to heal fully around the implant post before the next step is taken. Molds of the natural teeth will be used to create a bridge that consists of a full set of teeth attached to each other. These are most often made by creating a crown for each tooth and attaching them to each other on either side. One is created for the bottom teeth and another for the top teeth.

dental implants in North York

Each set of crowns is installed onto the dental posts. This is often a permanent installation, and any teeth that become damaged are corrected and repaired in the same manner that the original teeth were. Fillings can be created for the implants where minor damages are found, and in cases where the damage cannot be repaired it can be removed and replaced with a new crown.

Once the bridge has been installed there is an extended healing process that may take several mouth, even up to a year, to fully heal. During this time there are stages of healing that may require diet limitations or adjustments to allow the healing to occur.

 Once healed dental implants can be used as natural teeth are, they are brushed and flossed twice a day and regular dental visits should be maintained to keep them healthy and clean. Dental implants can linger for a lifetime if you care for them properly, so this is a permanent solution to full mouth tooth loss and when done well there will be no outward sign that they are anything other than your own natural teeth.