Full Mouth Dental Implants All Teeth

Dental implants are artificial replacement teeth that your dentist or oral surgeon places into your jawbone to help maintain a healthy structure for your mouth, prevent your teeth from moving out of their proper position in unnatural or painful ways, and improve and preserve your smile.

What are some reasons you might need dental implants for full mouth reconstruction? You may have one or more missing teeth or badly decayed teeth, or maybe you are unable to wear dentures.

What Does Full Mouth Reconstruction with Dental Implants Involve?

A dental implant consists of a metal post at the bottom and an artificial tooth crown at the top. Your dentist or oral surgeon will place the implant into your jawbone to provide a secure structure in your mouth, help maintain the position of your teeth, and help you have natural motions for chewing and biting.

You can think of the dental implant procedure as a metal screw, the post, that is surgically placed into the root area of your tooth. Then the artificial tooth, the crown, is attached to the post. Your new artificial teeth will look like and function just like real teeth, providing you with an excellent alternative to bridge work or wearing dentures.

Dental implant surgery requires that your jawbone properly heals around the implant through a process called osseointegration. Your body absorbs the implant into your gumline, just as it would for a natural tooth. Your dentist or oral surgeon will complete your full mouth reconstruction using implants in several steps, as described below.

Initial Evaluation

A comprehensive oral evaluation will include X-rays, a thorough examination of your jawbone, and having models made of your teeth to ensure that the dental implants will closely match your gums, lips, mouth, and face. Your dentist will ask about any health conditions you might have and medications you are taking. Your initial evaluation might also involve visits to dental specialists, such as a maxillofacial surgeon or a periodontist.

The Surgery Process

Because your jawbone must properly heal through the osseointegration process, dental implant surgery for full mouth reconstruction occurs in several stages, typically requiring as long as 12 months. Your dentist or oral surgeon will complete the following steps and will only proceed to the next step when you are sufficiently healed:

1. Remove existing damaged teeth.

2. Prepare your jawbone for surgery, which can include bone grafting or adding a small amount of bone to harden your jawbone for implant placement.

3. Once your jawbone heals, place the implant post into your gumline.

4. After more time for healing, attach the artificial tooth crown, which completes the full implant.

To help you heal after each phase of your surgery, your dentist or oral surgeon will instruct you to eat soft foods for a short period of time and discuss how to keep your mouth clean. At home after each step, you can apply ice packs to help relieve pain and reduce swelling. Remember—the entire full mouth reconstruction process will require your patience. Healing will take time.

The End Result? Teeth That Look and Function Like Your Real Teeth

If your jawbone is healthy and strong enough for the necessary procedures, dental implants for full mouth reconstruction provide a solid base in your mouth for new, artificial replacement teeth. Implants look like and work like your actual teeth, making this type of surgery an excellent option to bridge work, which can be ill-fitting and cumbersome, or to wearing dentures, which require frequent removal and cleaning.

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