Everything You Need To Know About Full Arch Implants

How do you feel when one or many of your teeth are missing? Of course not very good, after all, everyone wants to look perfect and when it is about your teeth, one wants them to be a little more perfect. 

There are many ways of replacing a missing tooth and we have already spoken about many of them. In this blog today, we’ll be discussing another important and highly recommended procedure, full arch implants.

What is a Full Arch Implant?

The installation of an implant-supported replacement for the teeth on a patient’s jaw is known as fixed, full-arch restoration. 

Like other replacement options, this is something used to replace the missing teeth but there’s a difference. 

A full arch procedure covers the full row of teeth. The arches are the curved parts inside the mouth where the teeth are. That’s why it is called full arch implants since these are not limited to a single tooth or a couple of them. 

Dentists usually use two to six dental implants during the procedure. This procedure is entirely different from its counterparts as these are tiny titanium screws that are surgically implanted into a patient’s jaw. 

After the placement, these are meant to fuse with the bone tissues so that they reach the roots of the lost tooth and that’s how the procedure begins. After this, the implants are placed after a gap of a few months. 

We’ll learn about it later in the blog. This procedure isn’t as simple and quick as the other procedures. It literally takes the patient months to get the whole process done depending upon the number of teeth and the jaw i.e if it is the upper or lower jaw. 

It usually takes seven to eight months for the upper full arch implant bridge and four to five months for the lower one. This means it is going to take you more time, effort, and money for the procedure.

When Do You Need It?

As the name suggests, this procedure is recommended after there is a loss of full arch i.e when more than five to six adjacent teeth are lost at a time. 

The loss can be accidental or in most cases due to the old ages of the patients.  This setup can replace a full arch, either in the lower or upper jaw, and the results are permanent and natural-looking jaws.

How Does It Work?

The treatment process and the duration entirely depend on how severe your condition is. Your dentist can opt for immediate loading or can go for a delayed protocol. 

The procedure doesn’t start in a blink. Your dentist first examines you well and after he/she is completely satisfied then only you will be directed to go through this process. 

This is followed by the implant placement which will function as the new tooth roots. Let us know how it goes. Four or more implants are used for a full arch implant and temporary teeth will be attached. 

These temporary teeth are placed to make sure that the patient can eat and use his/her teeth for other essential functions. The jawbone is then left to heal and while the jawbone heals, the backend team works on building the new permanent bridge.

After a gap of three to six months, abutments will be placed on the implants. After it is done, the newly designed permanent bridge will be securely connected to the abutment. The whole process requires three to four visits to your dentist but after large gaps.

If you are thinking of going for this process, make sure to plan this properly as it is going to take a lot of time.

Pros & Cons :

Let’s now have a look at the pros and cons of the procedure. Let us begin with the pros –

·         Patients are able to speak clearly and easily.

·         One can have his/her favorite foods again as they are strong and durable.

·         These save your money in the long term.

·         These can last for a lifetime with easy maintenance.

·         These implants Improve the strength of your jawbone.

·         These are stronger than the original teeth.

These were some of the pros. Now let’s have a look at its cons.

·         This is going to cost you a lot of money.

·         It comes with a risk of bone loss at the implant spot.

·         It requires proper surgery and anesthesia which may not suit a lot of patients.

·         Longer healing periods.

·         There are chances of implant failures which are very less though.

The final result of this procedure can actually amaze you. One can find it difficult to figure out if you have actually gone through any dental procedures.

People who went through the procedure shared very positive feedback about it. Now that you know a lot about it, we hope that you are able to make better implant choices if needed.