Linda had always made her oral health a priority. She visited the dentist more often than most and kept up with her oral hygiene. Unfortunately, a symptom of Linda’s autoimmune disorder is drying of the mouth. A dry mouth causes many problems to an individual’s oral health. Without the proper amount of saliva, bacteria sticks to the teeth. Over the years, Linda had endured extensive dental work. Eventually, all her dental work needed to be replaced. She had failing root canals, new decay, root decay, fractured teeth, fractured bridges, and multiple missing teeth.
At this stage, fixing her remaining teeth was not a realistic option as there was no real long-term chance of success. Any fix would likely fail in 5 years or less because there was no firm foundation on which to rebuild. A more permanent solution was needed.
Dentures were an option that Linda was presented with. Linda’s mother had false teeth so she saw the troubles that went along with removable teeth. She did not want her teeth to move and she did not want her palette covered.
The best choice for Linda was implants. With sedation for dentistry, Linda slept while her failing teeth were removed, implants were placed in, her new fixed teeth were attached on to the implants the same day. Linda was able to eat normally that very night.
LINDA WOKE UP TO A BRAND NEW SMILE
At first glance, the teeth look deceptively decent. The crowns and bridges on almost all her teeth hid the damage underneath. With a closer look it was apparent she had large cavities, root fractures, and abscesses. Linda lost a previous bridge due to a root fracture. Many of her other teeth were also heading for root fracture and eventual extraction because there was not enough tooth left to fix.
Linda had 12 existing root canals. Many root canals were infected and painful. Almost every tooth had root decay happening under the gumline which meant the teeth were rotting and crumbling away. The problems had progressed beyond repair.
The brown is not a stain, it is advanced decay that was soft and sticky. The decay extended up inside the crown. The extent of the damage is much worse than the patient realized. Almost every tooth had decay like this under the gum line and along the tongue side.
Here is Linda’s pre-op smile with her original teeth. It is small and collapsed. You cannot see her lower teeth...
Bite correction was done to correct jaw joint position before the final placement of implants. A plastic plate was created and glued to the bite surface of Linda’s teeth to open up her smile and have her get used to how it will feel after the implants are in place. It is a broader, wider smile with better facial proportions. You can see her lower teeth. The jaw muscles and jaw joint function better in this position. Once she had a few weeks to get used to her new bite, she came in for her surgery.
Notice similar tooth positions and lip support in the after compared with the before. This cannot be achieved with regular removable dentures. When implants are present you can place the synthetic teeth in the proper position for lip support and proper facial esthetics Traditional Dentures often leave a patient with a sunken face that we refer to as "the denture look". Excess skin shows as jowls due to unsupported facial muscles.
When denture covers palate some people have unclear speech. Implant teeth are small and do not cover the palate so speech is normal. With implants there is no nerve pain and you can’t get cavities.
These photos were taken 10 days after surgery.
Linda’s surgery entailed the following:
- All 25 of Linda’s teeth were removed
- 13 implants were placed same day as the extractions
- Bone grafting was completed that same day
- Plastic temporary fixed teeth were put in place to aid in faster patient healing
- Temporary teeth were all verified in bite orthotic stage
This was all done while Linda was sedated. No more decay, no failing teeth and no failing root canals.
Linda then wore her plastic temporary teeth for 8 months while her implants and gum tissue healed.
During this time patients can eat normally, speak normally and smile with confidence. Her temporary teeth do not move out of place and they look and function normally.
To the right are pictures of Linda’s permanent ceramic teeth. To go from temporary plastic teeth to final ceramic teeth is not difficult.
There is no need to be sedated. Patients do not even need freezing. The appointment to fit the ceramic teeth takes a couple hours.
We have to measure and fine tune things but the transition is very easy for the patient.
These teeth :
- Do not chip or stain
- Do not wear down
- Allow you to eat anything
- Feel and function just like real teeth but without the chance of getting a cavity.
LINDA'S NEW AND IMPROVED SMILE
You can see her lower teeth and it shows a full, healthy smile that fits her facial proportions. Implants are needed to achieve this result. Dentures cannot achieve these results as plastic would be too thick and the patient could not keep the dentures in place.
Her teeth are attached in place on the implants and do not move. She can eat anything she wants and everything will remain securely in place.
To learn more about dental implants visit the implant page on our website (Link)
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