Full Mouth Restorations For Older Patients In Chelmsford

Your later years don’t have to be made difficult due to a lack of teeth.

Although the benefits of today’s topic can apply to almost anyone, we are going to mainly focus on older people. Although anyone can lose a tooth or a few teeth through decay or accidents, it does tend to be in our later years when we suffer from the loss of more teeth than usual.

In some cases, as people become older, they may be left with very few natural teeth, if any at all. Although, at a certain age, people may be less bothered with the way that they look, losing too many teeth can also impact their eating and general enjoyment of food. Not only could this spoil one of the few enjoyments older people might have but could also mean that insufficient nutrition is gained due to a restricted diet because of their lack of teeth. This may impact their general health.

What treatment options do we have available for this type of situation then at our Chelmsford dentist surgery?

Dentures

One of the most common tooth replacement systems is the use of dentures. This can be partial dentures or even a full arch, depending what the situation is. Dentures certainly look and feel a lot better than they used to do, but as they are not firmly secured in the mouth, they may move around a little and make eating difficult at times. Consequently, people in this situation may choose to eat foods that are easier to eat, a factor that could lead to nutritional deficiencies if not managed correctly.

Given the potential issues patients might have with dentures, let us take a look at dental implants as an alternative option.

Dental implants

The implants that we supply at Blue Sky Dental are of a high quality and the success rate of the procedure is very high indeed. Although a little patience might be needed for a while after the implant has been placed, patients will soon be using their new implant as they would a natural tooth. The dental implant is, in essence, a replacement tooth root that is placed into the jawbone. Once it is secure, a crown is attached to complete the new tooth.

Dental implants can be placed individually or where a few consecutive teeth have been lost. This may be applicable to an older person, but once a lot of teeth have been lost, anyone that has dentures, and especially if they have become cumbersome or uncomfortable, might wish to consider a teeth implant treatment known as same day dental implants, or sometimes ‘teeth in a day’. While these can be used for consecutive lost teeth, we are going to look at it specifically where a full arch of teeth has been lost, or, as is often the case, where just one or two natural teeth remain on the arch.

Minimal remaining teeth

If a full arch of teeth has been lost, same day implants can be placed following a few preliminary checks. Where, say, just two or three teeth remain though, a decision has to be taken. It is possible to fit dentures around these teeth, or indeed to place a number of bridges supported by implants in the gap between these. While this is possible, it is worth remembering that, especially as we grow older, the likelihood of losing the few remaining ones is relatively high. Because of this, while we don’t generally like to remove healthy teeth, this may be an occasion when it may be wiser to do so. Naturally, we will discuss this with the patient so that they can make an informed choice.

While it is possible to replace teeth around the few remaining ones, extracting them does mean that we can then place a fixed bridge of replacement teeth to replace the full arch. Not only will this give them a natural and even appearance but makes the procedure more straightforward.

To fit a fixed bridge of teeth, a number of dental implants are first placed into the jaw. This varies from patient to patient but is usually either four or six. Two of these are specially designed implants which are placed towards the back of the mouth. These are key to providing the excellent level of stability that this method brings. Two or four more implants are then strategically placed.  Unlike with individual implants, where a three month ‘bonding’ period is necessary, with this treatment, the bridge can often be attached straight away.

Immediate use

Once the bridge has been attached, the patient is free to leave our practice and resume eating immediately, without having to worry about what they eat. However, and it is a big however, while you can do this, it is worth remembering that you have had an invasive treatment and there is likely to be a degree of soreness for a while until the treatment areas have started to heal. We recommend therefore that you start off by initially eating softer foods and avoiding those that require a lot of chewing for your own comfort.

Before long, you should be eating whatever you want and without the inconvenience of loose or uncomfortable dentures. While you might not be familiar with this particular procedure, it is one that older people especially can benefit from. If you would like more information about same day implants, or would like to make an appointment to discuss this with one of our Chelmsford dentists, please call Blue Sky Dental on 01245 211070 to arrange yours today.