Full Arch Replacement With Dental Implants
Austin, TX
 Whether it is old age, genetics, or poor dental hygiene, losing your teeth can take a toll on both your confidence and way of life. Without teeth, you may find it hard to speak. It is also much harder to enjoy eating or even sleeping without them. While many patients may consider dentures, they are still not the solution for long term tooth loss and gum pulling.
Fortunately, we here at Oral Surgery Specialists of Austin have a better, more permanent solution to that. Full arch replacements are, in a sense, dentures placed over dental implants. When placed, they can even help prevent gum pulling and further degradation of the alveolar ridge.
Full Arch Replacements
Full arch replacements are wide, denture-like bridge replacements supported by implant posts on the jaws. A whole unit consists of an arch of teeth that consists of all teeth on one side. Most of our patients need full arch replacements of both the upper and lower arches of their mouth.
What makes full arch replacements a viable choice lies in their relative cost-effectiveness compared to implant-supported bridges. Full arch replacements are easier to maintain and last a longer time than the latter. Since they are usually made in pairs, we could easily make a pair with a matching bite.
Getting Full Arch Replacements
When placing a set of full arch replacements, the first thing we need to do is take an x-ray scan of your mouth. We would do this even if you no longer have any teeth. This procedure allows us to check the health and density of your jawbones. This is also a screening procedure. For some people, their jawbones may be too thin to support an implant at all.
If you do not pass the screening procedure but still want a full arch replacement, we could do a dental bone graft to make your jawbones thick enough to support implants. For the rest, however, the procedure consists of precise measurements and extractions of broken teeth.
We usually perform a tooth extraction when you have teeth that are too damaged to be restored. Otherwise, we would prefer to use these as posts for the arch. We turn these into bases for dental crowns that fit on the underside of the dental arch. Afterward, we would go on to place the posts, which we usually do in a single visit. After six months, we could then place the dental arches themselves.
All-on-4 vs All-on-6
When we place a full arch replacement, we usually discuss how many posts the individual would want on their teeth. An All-on-4 uses four implants as the base while an All-on-6 uses six. While the latter provides better support, this gets more expensive during placement. All-on-4 are also better for people with thinner jaws, which can only support a smaller number of posts per inch.
Whichever implant you may want – whether it is four, six, or even five posts - we can always tell you what your jaw can best support.
By visiting us at Oral Surgery Specialists of Austin, we can discuss how we should go with your full arch replacement. Please give us a call at (512) 547-6852 or use our appointment request form to schedule an appointment today. |
