FULL-MOUTH RECONSTRUCTION OPTIONS FOR SENIORS
It is thought that it is inevitable to experience tooth loss as you get older. However, it is a great misconception that the deterioration of oral and dental health is a natural result of the ageing process.
Your mouth will age like your other organs. Your gums and teeth change as you age. With the ageing of your cells, the nerves, especially in your teeth may shrink, which can make you susceptible to decay and other problems. On the other hand, these kinds of results are not inevitable for everybody. There are other factors like genetic susceptibility, osteolysis, metabolic diseases like diabetes, etc. that would affect your oral and dental health.
FULL-MOUTH DENTAL IMPLANT PROCEDURE
Just a few decades ago, dentures were the only solution for seniors who suffered from multiple tooth losses. With the developments on titanium dental implants in the late 1960s, the techniques used for tooth replacement improved significantly. A dental implant is a titanium screw that is implanted into the jawbone and serves as the root of a tooth.
After a period of healing to allow the screw to fuse to the jawbone, a dental crown or a dental bridge is placed on the screw(s) to mimic the natural tooth/teeth. Today, dental implants are still considered to be the most efficient solution for missing teeth. Especially for the individuals who lost all their teeth, a full mouth dental implant procedure (a full arch dental bridge supported by multiple dental implants) is a convenient long-term solution without the discomfort of removable dentures.
The cost of full mouth reconstruction depends on the chosen implant system, the number of implants required, and the patient’s bone condition.
Unfortunately, dental implants are not suitable solutions for everyone. The main obstacle for seniors is high levels of bone loss. Other than that, some diseases like diabetes may prevent the patient from being a suitable candidate for the treatment. For example, the patient’s Hba1c value needs to be below 6,5 for the fusion of the titanium screw to the jawbone. Otherwise, the dental implant would have a high risk of failure.
If you do not have sufficient bone density levels for dental implants…
The most common reason behind tooth loss for seniors is low bone density levels. In most cases, if the bone density levels of the patient are not sufficient for the dental implant placement, a procedure called “Bone Grafting” is performed to increase the amount of bone in the area, so the titanium screw can be applied successfully. Unfortunately, in the cases of severe bone loss, the bone grafting procedure may not be effective in providing sufficient bone structure for the screw part. Until quite recently, Removable Dentures were still the only solution for these individuals. But today, with the technological and medical improvements, there is a much better alternative: All on 4® Procedure.
ALL ON 4® PROCEDURE
In 1998, Dr Paulo Melo successfully treated the first patient with All on 4 Procedure. The treatment allows supporting a full-arch hybrid denture with only 4 dental implants: 2 straight dental implants on the front and 2 dental implants at the back with a 45-degree angle. Since then, thousands of patients have been treated with this procedure and regained their chewing functions without the discomfort of removable dentures.
At Laura Dental Center, we offer dental implant brands with the highest success rates for our patients, such as Nucleoss®, SLH® and Straumann Group® implants. You can choose the implant according to your budget
If you are looking for a full mouth or full jaw reconstruction, or just would like to learn about your treatment options, you can contact us now and get a free quote. If you send us your dental photographs as well, our patient coordinators will consult our experienced oral surgeons and get back to you with further information regarding your treatment options and the associated costs for free.
For further questions, you can contact us via email or WhatsApp at any time.
