Ongoing advancements in dentistry have made it possible for dentists to replace multiple missing teeth with a minimum of hassle. Over the years, dental implants have proved to be a better tooth replacement option than conventional methods like dentures. On top of restoring your smile and giving you a permanent solution to missing teeth, dental implants help support your dental structure and prevent deterioration of the remaining teeth. Therefore, you shouldn’t delay replacing your missing teeth. Luckily, you can now replace multiple teeth at once. In the past, teeth replacement was a hectic process because it required one to make several visits to the doctor.
Today, you can have all your missing teeth replaced in one go. This efficiency has significantly reduced the number of visits you have to make to the doctor. It has also reduced the cost of getting teeth replaced because it has been made easier, faster, and more effective. In the past, patients had to go back repeatedly to their oral surgeon to have their implants fixed. Often as the result of faulty appliances or an incorrect surgical procedure. As a result, the total cost of getting replacements was high. However, before you go for a multi-implant tooth replacement, make sure you understand what it entails and what to expect.
Getting Implants is a Process
Ordinarily, multiple dental implants require at least two visits to the doctor, depending on the procedure’s complexity. If your jawbone is damaged, it may require bone grafting and other restorative interventions before you can get your implants. This will prolong the process and require more than two visits to the doctor. But under normal circumstances, the first visit involves the examination of your jaw and the installation of metallic screws. These screws are attached to the jawbone and serve as the roots of the teeth. The new base requires at least two months to bond with the bone and the jawbone to heal fully. The doctor will use temporary crowns to cover the screws throughout the healing period.
Once the screws have fully bonded with the jawbone, the doctor will remove the temporary crowns and place the real ones. The final crowns are custom-made to fit your mouth snugly and give you a natural smile. If you have multiple missing teeth, your doctor will place screws on both ends of the gap and install a fixed bridge. The bridge reduces the number of implants you get and the total cost of getting the implants. While this is the standard procedure, your doctor will examine you and decide on the best multi-implant process for you.