What are full arch dental implants?
Full arch dental implants refer to an entire arch of teeth supported by implants. This means all the teeth from ear to ear, the entire jaw is fully supported by implants. It's not removable and nothing that you have to take out of the mouth. Basically, it's a bunch of implants that hold all the teeth in place.
Who is a good candidate for full arch dental implants?
Implants have to be placed into bone, so you need to have bone in order to be a candidate for dental implants. You would need bone in multiple places in the same arch to be a candidate for a full arch dental prosthesis. You also need to be in fairly good medical health, as certain medical conditions, such as uncontrolled diabetes, or certain medications for the bones can disqualify you. It's very patient-specific, but you're welcome to come in for a consultation and we can see if you're a candidate.
What are the advantages of full arch dental implants versus dentures or other options?
The beauty of a full arch dental implant prosthesis versus a denture is that this is one arch on implants, nothing removable. It's nothing you have to take out of your mouth every single night. This is as close as we get to your own natural teeth. The entire roof of the mouth is open, we're only replacing the teeth where the teeth are. A full denture covers the entire roof of the mouth, extends up into the gums, but most importantly, it's a removable piece. It limits the types of food you can eat. Hard, very crunchy foods like apples and carrots, very chewy steaks may not be an option for you if you're just wearing a removable denture, but there's no restrictions with full arch dental implant prosthesis.
What are the steps in the process for getting full arch denture implants?
First, we need a 3D x-ray just to see if you're a candidate, to see if you have bone. We need to make sure that there's room for the implants that we want to put in. Assuming that there is, the next step is to make you a temporary because you always need to have teeth. So even if it's temporary teeth, even if it's a denture, just for a short amount of time, we need something. Then you come in and you actually get the surgery. You get the implants put in and you go home with your temporary teeth, a temporary denture that day. The implants then need to heal about three to six months, and then we start the fabrication of this thing. So start to finish will take anywhere from six to 12 months, depending on the case.
Is the procedure painful?
There should be no pain ever while you're in the office. You will get numb and you have to be comfortable. If you feel something at any point, please speak up. We will give you more anesthesia. When you go home, you get sent home with antibiotics and pain meds. We give you all the tools and equipment at home to make sure that you can control the pain. There might be some soreness because you had a lot of work done. You might be aware that something has been done, but it shouldn't be anything terrible.
How do you clean and care for the implants?
All you have to do, you need two things. You need a toothbrush and you need some kind of water flosser, a water pick or something similar, because you have to clean above the prosthesis where it ends, where it meets your own gums from the outsides and the insides. Clean all the teeth like you would normally brush your own teeth. And then you need that water flosser to get in underneath and in between all of the implants.
Will your implant teeth match the color of your own teeth?
When we do something like this, you can choose the color of the teeth that you get. We can make them match the teeth that you have, we can make them match the teeth that you used to have, or we can go super, super white Hollywood, super smile if you wanted to.
Can insurance help pay for these implants?
Insurance can sometimes help pay for some of these things, but it depends a lot on the plan. It depends a lot on your coverage. There's a lot of ifs that go into insurance coverage, but insurance benefits really shouldn't deter you from getting this type of treatment. If this is something that you want, that's a decision made between you and your doctor, not your insurance company.