Creating All New Teeth For Your Upper or Lower Jaw

When truly successful implant care first became available in the early 1980's, it was heralded as the first reliable way in which a person missing all of his or her teeth in one or both jaws could return to a level of function equal to the time when natural teeth were present.  Originally, the Swedish company Nobelpharma (recently renamed as Nobel Biocare), in conjunction with Par Ingvar Brånemark, an orthopedic surgeon, introduced pure titanium implants only for the replacement of all the teeth.  As a result, replacement of all the teeth in either jaw is the longest standing implant technique, with the most experience on the part of patients and dentists.

Once we have carefully designed your case and determined the ideal implant positions and angulations, the first step involves placing of the implants by your surgeon.  Once the implants are placed, we provide you with a cushioned denture, made new, or made from your existing denture.  During the bone bonding phase, which typically lasts 3 months in your lower jaw and 6 months in your upper jaw, you continue to wear your denture(s) as you normally have.

Once the period of bone bonding is completed, a second, very minor surgery is performed to attach connectors, called "abutments", to the implants.  With the abutments in place, we create a custom gold / platinum casting that fits with precision to your abutments.  This casting, called the "platform" attaches to your abutments by means of gold screws.  In order for your reconstruction to function properly over the years, this platform must fit absolutely perfectly.  Once we are satisfied that we have a perfect fit, we create your actual teeth, which are bonded to the gold / platinum platform.  Your completed reconstruction is "U"-shaped and has no metal or acrylic covering the roof of your mouth or interfering with your tongue.

Your new teeth are firmly attached to your abutments by means of the gold screws.  They stay in your mouth, just like real teeth, during your day to day activities.   Periodically, we request that you come in to the office so we can remove the prosthesis, inspect it, clean it, and re-install it.  So, except for the few minutes each year that you spend in our dental chair, your teeth are firmly attached, are not removable, and provide an incredibly improved quality of life for your enjoyment!

If you're interested in looking in to your possibilities for replacing all the teeth in your upper or lower jaw with this type of implant reconstruction, feel free to give us a call for your consultation.  As always, if you are able to bring your own X-Rays, initial consultation is complimentary.  If you do need us to take X-Rays for you, we will take as few as possible in order to provide you with an informed recommendation for your implant care.