Missing All Your Teeth Full Mouth Replacement Options

If you are missing all your teeth, you may be weighing the comfort, daily care, and cost of different replacements. In this video, Dr. Regan Ackerman explains the options she offers and how treatment can be tailored to each arch.

So if you come in for a consult and you’re missing all of your teeth, for whatever reason, maybe you have dentures that you’re struggling with or you’re using tons of glue to keep them in, or you just gave up and you’re not wearing them. So there are several different options. The first option is what we call a snap-in denture. If I need to make you a new denture, first we’re going to make a new denture. We’re going to make sure you like the new denture, the color of the teeth, the bite.

We’re going to make sure everything’s right first. And then I would place the mini dental implants, no incisions or stitches. The day I put these implants in, I will put these attachments inside that denture that we made you and you will leave that day with your denture snapped onto those implants. So we call it a denture stabilization because it stabilizes the denture so it’s not going to move and not going to flop around. You’ll just take it out once a day, you’re going to rinse and clean everything, and snap it back in.

So if you’re missing all your teeth, this is a great option, if you couldn’t handle regular dentures. Another option, which is a lot nicer, is what we call a roundhouse bridge. So it’s made out of a much stronger material, usually zirconia, which is why it can be trimmed back so much. You get rid of all the pink material of a denture. Nothing’s really covering the roof of your mouth anymore.

It just feels more comfortable in your mouth. It’s the closest thing to your natural teeth. So, I’ll place the implants, and then usually we have to use either a temporary denture, or we’ll discuss the best temporary for you, and then you’ll come back about 4 to 5 weeks later and we will have this bridge fabricated for you. Obviously, we’re going to try it in, make sure you like it and I like it, and then once it gets either snapped on or cemented on just kind of depends on the scenario and what we’re doing for you but it’s permanent. It doesn’t come in and out anymore.

You have nothing on the roof of your mouth, so you can taste all your food. You don’t have a gag reflex. Your job’s going to be to brush it at home. We give you a Waterpik to use every night, but this is a great option because it just feels most like your natural teeth. So if you come in and you’re missing all of your teeth, there are several different options.

There’s the snap-in denture, there’s the permanent teeth. Sometimes we phase it out for people. Sometimes people are happy with their upper denture, we just do the lower implants. Or vice versa. Or we can phase it.

If you can only afford one arch, we’ll pick the one you’re struggling with the most and we’ll start there.

If you’re interested in learning more about full-mouth tooth replacement, we invite you to schedule a free consultation with Dr. Regan Ackerman at Freedom Dental Implants in Louisville, Kentucky. We look forward to giving you the freedom to smile.