The process for completely rehabilitating a full set of teeth in the mouth is known as Full Mouth Reconstruction. It takes into consideration the person’s individual smile, bite, facial support muscles and jaw joints. Some dental practices also refer to this procedure as Full Mouth Rehabilitation. This method of treatment requires the services of a trained and professional prosthodontist. A prosthodonist is a dentist who has extended his training after completing dental school by taking three additional years of specialized training that focusing on this kind of specialized treatment. Before performing this kind of procedure, a prosthodonist must take into consideration the entire structure of the mouth system. This includes speech, smiling, the oral structure, the ability to chew properly and joint health in order to achieve a successful Full Mouth Restoration.
Who is a Good Candidate?
Many people who have worn down most or all of their natural teeth, due to an acidic diet, excessive teeth grinding or jaw clenching, or as the the effect of acid reflux, are good candidates for this type of treatment. Most of these patients have experienced cracked or missing teeth that have required crowns. Although a crown can help save an individual tooth, each damaged tooth requires a separate crown that must fit comfortably into the existing bite space. For individuals who have numerous crowns located throughout their mouth, the final result causes more closed bite space over a period of time. This often causes premature aging of the face due to shrinking, further compromising a patient’s oral health and well-being.
Reasons to Use Full Mouth Reconstruction
Full Mouth Reconstruction is often considered a good solution for restoring damaged natural teeth as well as implants. For individuals who have lost at least one tooth in which implants and new crows were used to fill missing spaces, the perfect design and match originally intended is now compromised. By using the Full Mouth Restoration process, customized results are achieved for each individual for optimal health of the teeth, gums and the patient’s natural bite mechanism.
Downtime Required
For most patients, at least one or two days away from their work and normal daily routine are required for a Full Mouth Restoration. This period of time may actually increase if multiple implants are being placed in the mouth. The healing process itself takes anywhere between three to six months.
During the healing process, the bone tissue of the mouth and the implants fuse properly together. Most Full Mouth Restoration procedures include replacement of all of the teeth, but does depend upon the special needs of each individual patient.
Benefits of Full Mouth Restoration
Choosing to have Full Mouth Restoration done by an experienced prosthodontist offers patients a range of important benefits. These include:
Improving chewing ability
- A bite that is noticeably more comfortable
- A beautiful smile that looks perfect and as natural as possible
- An increase in the patient’s self-esteem and confidence in their appearance
- Restored facial support
- Protection of the teeth from additional cracking, wear and damage
- An improvement in speech ability
- Increase in social confidence
- Restored lip support
- Healthier gums and reduced likelihood of gum disease.