Teeth in a Day ~
A wonderful way to enjoy life as if you had super healthy natural teeth.
WOW! Is what we hear day in and day out when a dental phobic patient walks in with a devastating smile and leaves with the beautiful knock out smile.
It seems hard to believe that 10 years ago this was just a dream for most dentist and patients alike.
Now a patient with loose teeth, missing teeth, decayed teeth...... can decide to get them removed one day and later that afternoon leave with new stronger and more cosmetic replacements.
Imagine a tooth that can not get a cavity and with the proper care last a life time. A dental implant is a replacement of a natural tooth but much stronger with out the worry. If you are missing several teeth or need several teeth removed your answer is a implant retained denture that will know move when you chew or fall out when you sneeze.
FAQ ~ About Teeth in a Day
Does food get underneath your implant retained denture or bridge ?
Sometimes food does occasionally get stuck underneath the denture because as the gum heals the gum tissue shrinks leaving small gaps between the implant retained denture and the implants. Once the healing process is complete, the bridge is refitted. The permanent bridge or implant retained denture is very flush with the gums, and is much more difficult to get food underneath. We recommend using a Water Pik under the permanent bridge or implant retained denture to make it easier to get to hard to reach areas.
Do I brush and floss implants like regular teeth?
You still need to brush your teeth but we recommend a non abrasive toothpaste and a medium to soft toothbrush. Flossing will be different due to the fact that the teeth are all connected so there is no area in between the teeth to floss. Underneath the denture bridge we will show you items you can use to make it easier to clean the implants since they are hard to reach.
What kind of maintenance will my new teeth require?
We will want to see you at our dental office about every six months to make sure you are able to clean properly your new teeth. Sometimes we remove the denture to be able to get to all the implants. If we notice that the implant screws are getting worn down we may order new screws.
After implants, do the bone and or gums still deteriorate?
Natural teeth that are sick due to infection of gum disease will generally be associated with continuous bone loss. In some instances, this bone loss can become so severe over time that it may be difficult to place implants in the small amount of bone remaining. Long term use of dentures, especially those with porcelain teeth, can result in the very same kind of bone loss in both the upper and lower jaws. Thankfully, the implant procedure you are getting with us on your big SMILE DAY, has a stabilizing effect on bone. They will usually eliminate or significantly reduce the kind of chronic bone loss that is seen around patients with chronic gum disease/ or in patients wearing full or partial dentures. It has been estimated that patients with a full arch of teeth supported by implants only show an annual bone loss of about .05 mm per year. If you keep your sick teeth or wear non implant supported dentures, you will have a much higher rate of bone loss at an increased speed.
Will my gums hurt after the implant procedure?
There will be some discomfort after your procedure on your gum tissues since stitches will be placed. We will give you pain management medications to fit your needs and make you comfortable during the days after we place your implants. On a scale of 1 to 10 (10 being the worst pain), most of our patient’s rate the discomfort after their surgery at a level of 2 or 3. We usually do not need to remove stitches since we use a kind that dissolves naturally
How long will I need to recover?
For smaller cases, many people are able to go back to work the very next day. For larger cases, you may want to take a couple of days off to regain your full strength. Although you will feel pretty normal after 4 to 6 days and will be able to resume all normal activities, we want you to be very careful for up to 6 weeks with the foods that you eat.
You will not need to stay with a soft diet the entire time, we just want you to avoid foods that are hard to bite or chew. As a general rule, if you can cut it with a fork, you will usually be OK. These first few weeks are the time needed for initial bone healing that will ensure that your bone is integrating to your new implants.
How is the pain managed during my BIG Day?
A combination of local anesthesia and often we recommend a light sedation. This kind of sedation you are breathing on your own. You will not remember what is happening around you but you can answer questions if asked, and you maintain all your reflexes. You are not asleep just deeply relaxed. Today’s advanced forms of sedation and anesthesia take effect extremely quickly – within two or three minutes—and typically wear off rapidly.
Does the procedure hurt?
During the procedure you do not feel anything. Once the implants are placed, your new teeth are fixed to the implants, and do not rest on you gums, so the new set of teeth we are giving you will not cause irritation to your gum tissue.
This means less pain than traditional dentures and less duration of pain. Normally our patients have told us that they had some minimal pain or discomfort for the first 2-3 days, and after that, most were feeling 100% normal again.
How long will my implants and new teeth last?
Technically, the answer is we do not really know. The long term experience seems to support the fact that for most of our patients, the implant-supported bridges ore implant retained dentures that we have made may last a lifetime.
However, we do expect that there will be some wear on the teeth over time, even though the materials we use today are much more durable than those of the previous generation. If the denture teeth wear down we can replace the teeth. It can be done very quickly in the laboratory. Since we make a temporary and a final bridge for every patient, our patients will never have to be without teeth while these repairs are being made.
Do implants need to be replaced over time? Do your teeth break or need to be replaced over time?
Once the implants are fully healed and healthy bone has grown around them (which usually takes a period of 4 to 6 months) we can then say that they are integrated to your jaw. With proper care, implants can last a lifetime, and will likely never need to be replaced. In spite of this, no medical or dental procedure can be guaranteed forever, and no medical or dental procedure is 100% successful. Once an implant has become attached to the bone and has a denture connected on to it, it is uncommon to need replacement.
Published long-term studies with follow-up over ten years demonstrate that implants and implant-supported prosthesis have a very good prognosis. The frequencies of, implant failures, or other complications are very small.
The new teeth that are affixed to the implants are made with modern acrylic and/or porcelain materials. As strong as they may be, however, repairs or changes over time may be needed after significant use. If repairs or changes are ever needed, they can be accomplished quickly and Dr Roca can always put the first temporary denture you had placed when you implants were first placed. .
Why do I have to return to get the real denture and only wear a provisional set of teeth after the implants are placed. Why not my permanent new teeth right away?
On the day of your procedure we place the implants and a new set of teeth called a “long-term provisional” prosthesis. This provisional set of teeth is fixed in place, is fully functional, and provides you with a beautiful smile. You will laugh, talk, play sports, and be normally active, without having to worry about your teeth.
This provisional set of teeth is made entirely of acrylic resin, which places less stress on your new implants during their first few months of use. We will ask you to be selective in the foods you eat the first few weeks following your procedure, but you will soon be back to a normal diet (without hard, tough, or brittle foods for a while longer).
Once your gum tissues have healed and the implants have become completely stable (usually about six months) we fabricate a permanent bridge with acrylic or porcelain teeth, but this time with a titanium framework inside for strength. Think of the titanium as a reinforcement bar to give your teeth extra support and long-term strength. This permanent set of teeth is carefully adapted to your healed gum tissues and is adjusted to be sure we achieve an ideal fit in your mouth, and that your bite and smile are perfect.
Will my new implant supported teeth look like my natural teeth?
Restorations on dental implants are made to look like your natural teeth, or better!
if you are replacing an entire arch of teeth, we want to make them look as natural as possible and often we will request photos from years past to understand how your teeth looked before.
Will my body reject the implants?
The implants are made of titanium, as substance proven to be inert in the body. The success of your body accepting the implants is usually above 96%. Unless you have a medical condition that prohibits wound healing, rejection is not common. After we place the implants, we ask you to maintain a modified diet for a few months so that a hard biting force is not directed onto the implants. Using the implant to bite or chew hard foods too soon, can cause the implants not to integrate into your jaw bone.
Is age a factor for dental implants?
Age appears not to be a factor for dental implant success. Bone healing around dental implants occurs in patients from the 6th to the 10th decade of life with almost equal success as in younger patients.
The use of the this procedure in the elderly patient has improved function to such an extent, that weight gain and improved nutrition are a sustained benefit to the comfort and satisfaction of being able to masticate food again.
Apparently, the only thing to stand in the way of dental implant treatment in the elderly is general medical health. Of course, there are a number of conditions that can preclude treatment. Therefore, a history and physical, blood studies and cardiograms are required in many cases.
Medical conditions such as diabetes, osteoporosis, the use of blood thinners, bisphosphonates (like Fosamax), liver, kidney or heart disease must be addressed individually to make sure the patient is in optimal condition for an implant surgical procedure.
In the mouth, the teeth are the “muscles”, the stimulators of the bone. By the teeth, the strength of the actual jaw muscles transmits a strong mechanical loading action that stimulates the bone bank of the jaws.
Without teeth, the bone bank loses strength and atrophies. Bone loss develops. It is as if the jaw bone says, “I will dissolve away now, as I am no longer needed”.
Dental implants recover the mechanical loading action and immediately become the new “muscles” of the jaw bone. Interestingly, the bone starts to grow and increase in bone mass (amount) and strength (mineralization). This occurs because the implant strains the bone and the bone responds by building strength within the bone itself to counteract this strain. As new bone is “deposited”, into the jaw’s bone bank, the jaw becomes healthier. Implant function has sometimes increased chewing efficiency 300%. Bite strength often increases 40% or more. A patient who is elderly that has worn dentures for years and could never chew anything substantial, can suddenly eat corn on the cob and bite into an apple. What a wonderful feeling to not hurt and feel good while chewing. These are exciting times.
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