Full mouth restorations are exactly what they sound like: a group of dental procedures that fully restore teeth for people that have lost all or almost all of their teeth.
Full mouth restorations are perhaps the most customized of dental solutions. Each patient is different and there is no standard treatment that is used for every single case. Each patient has to be evaluated by a dentist and then a course of action, typically involving several procedures is set.
What procedures will be selected will depend greatly on many factors, including the number of teeth lost, the level of damage to the teeth, whether any remaining teeth are worth saving, the placement of both the lost and the remaining teeth, the structure of the jawbone, as well as any other health conditions or lifestyle choices that may affect the procedures, such as diabetes or smoking.
Here’s a list of the most common procedures involved in full mouth restorations.
Dental Implants
Dental implants are the best way to restore lost teeth. They are a type of artificial screw that’s inserted into the jawbone. The material of the screw eventually fuses with the bone and gives the implant strength and stability. When this is achieved, an artificial tooth is fixed to the top of the implant.
In full-mouth restorations, a single dental implant is used only when there is a tooth lost next to natural teeth that are evaluated as worthy of being saved. This restores the lost tooth while preserving other teeth.
All-on-4 Dental Implants and Similar Solutions
These solutions are used when the jawbone still has enough stability and volume to sustain several dental implants. The implants in turn are used as a base to support a bridge that contains several artificial teeth. This gives the bridge and the teeth it supports the same strength and stability as single dental implants. They are commonly used in full-mouth restorations since there are often no teeth or few teeth that are damaged beyond saving.
In addition to All-on-4, there are All-on-6 and All-on-8 solutions. The more dental implants, the stronger and more stable the bridge is, but more implants require adequate healthy jawbone.
Veneers
Veneers are dental covers that are used for teeth that are damaged and hard to repair, typically the front teeth. They provide aesthetics and strength to avoid the risk of the front teeth breaking.
Dentures
Dentures are removable dental prostheses that are used to replace all of the teeth on one or both jaws. They are used only in cases where all the teeth have been lost and there isn’t enough jaw bone to support implants. Dentures have to be removed, typically at night, for cleaning and to let the patient’s mouth rest.
If you need to have a full dental restoration, it would be best to talk with a dentist who will help analyze the best options and develop a treatment approach that is comfortable and affordable for you.
If you are interested in a full-mouth restoration in Costa Rica, fill out the “Help me Find a Dentist” form. A participating dental specialist will reply to your needs.