No matter how many teeth you lose, it may be possible to regain most of the function of your teeth.
Sound impossible? It’s not, thanks to full-mouth reconstruction, which is one of the many restorative services that we offer at Beaumont Family Dentistry.
We will look at the bone structure of your face to determine whether you can receive dental implants or mini implants. When paired with a set of dentures, you may be able to eat the foods that you wish you could eat once again.
If you are missing most or all of your teeth, makes plans to talk to one of our the dentists at any of our three Lexington offices. Your new smile may be closer than you realize.
Evaluating Your Oral Health
Before we can do anything, we have to understand where you are. We need to know what the foundation looks like, sort of like a construction crew does before they can renovate a building.
During your consultation, we will discuss what you would like to change. During your follow-up visit, we may take X-rays and conduct a thorough examination.
One of the consequences of tooth loss is bone loss, specifically the jawbone. When you had all your teeth, the roots would press into your bone. This is a mutually beneficial relationship.
As your roots push on your jawbone, it responds with new growth. This kept the bone healthy and strong, and strong, healthy jawbones are able to hold the roots more securely in place.
When your teeth fall out, you don’t have the roots to encourage that new growth. Instead, your bones start to lose density if your teeth are not replaced. The longer you go without replacing your lost teeth, the more bone mass you will lose.
If you have any remaining teeth, we will need to determine how healthy they are. In some cases, you will be able to leave them in place. In other cases, they will need to be removed.
Developing Your Plan
Once we understand the condition of your mouth, we can move forward with your reconstruction plan.
If you have no teeth or you need to have your remaining teeth removed, our next step will depend on how much of your jawbone remains intact.
If you have a sufficient amount of bone, we can place a series of dental implants in your mouth. These implants can be used to support a set of dentures.
If you have lost too much bone mass to support traditional implants, we would have two options for how to move forward.
One option would be to perform a bone graft. During this procedure, we will transplant bone into the parts of your jaw that need more mass. As you heal, the transplanted bone will fuse with your existing bone to create the necessary support for dental implants.
Another option would be to place mini implants. Because these are smaller, we may be able to place them in parts of your mouth that could not support traditional implants.
The key is finding the right approach for you.
One thing that you should keep in mind is that implant placement can help you maintain the bone that you have left. You won’t be able to regrow the bone that you have lost, but implants may prevent you from losing more.
Reconstruction
The final step is following through on your plan.
Whether you get dental implants or mini implants, you may need some time to heal before we can place your dentures on them.
Once you are ready, however, we can design implant-retained or implant-supported dentures for you. Implant-retained dentures are connected to your implants with ball attachments. Implant-supported dentures are attached to a bar. That bar is attached to your implants.
Both types of implant-secured dentures will provide you with nearly the full function of your natural teeth. You can trust these dentures to remain in place when you are speaking, laughing, singing, biting, and chewing.
With implant-secured dentures, you can feel comfortable smiling again, and you can feel confident ordering anything on the menu when you dine out with family and friends.
Start Working On Your Plan
Losing your teeth can have a big impact on your quality of life. It can affect what you can eat, and it can affect you on an emotional level.
Full-mouth reconstruction is possible in almost any case, and dental implants can play an important role in helping you regain what you have lost.
To learn more about how Beaumont Family Dentistry can help, call any of our Lexington-area location or fill out the online form for the office closest to you.