Teeth in a day: What's involved?
Written by:Over 20 years ago, it was normal procedure to wait up to six months for your dentist to even start putting dental implants in. Nowadays, thanks to advances in technology and modern implant techniques, you can get new teeth in a day. We explain how the process of fitting a permanent replacement of fixed teeth in just a single day has become a routine procedure.
How have implants advanced since years ago?
Implants are now a widely accepted method of replacing missing or damaged teeth. They are not only a permanent solution, but they also simulate real teeth and therefore you avoid the annoyance and discomfort experienced when wearing removable dentures.
Furthermore, the reduction in jawbone tissue that bridges or dentures cause, can often result in the ageing of the patient’s face. Implants, however, prevent this bone loss and help retain the natural shape of the jaw.
The Teeth in a Day treatment, also known as immediate loading implants, allows you to leave with a new set of teeth on the same day. Our experience in this area has helped us speed up treatment for patients, allowing them to leave with a restored confidence in their smile. This procedure has now become a routine part of our practice.
What is the process like?
The first part of the teeth in a day process is to sit down and have a deep and meaningful discussion with the patient to fully understand their desires, fears and expectations of the whole procedure.
The patient normally begins the process with a CT scan so that the dentist can check the amount of bone in the jaw and see how healthy it is. The unhealthy or failing teeth are normally removed and replaced with a temporary prototype on the same day. These prototype teeth look very natural and close to the permanent set. They are used to test the aesthetics and function so when the final teeth are made, any changes in colour, shape and bite can easily be made.
How long until the real teeth are fitted?
Naturally, there is a lot of preparation, planning and digital laboratory work that needs to go into the teeth in a day procedure. The implants are usually made of titanium and have an internal screw that holds the denture in place. From the day the prototypes are placed, it takes around four months for the permanent teeth to be completed and fitted.
How real do the temporary ones look?
The 'before and after' photos below show how natural the temporary teeth look. The patient has a failing dentition and visited the clinic for a full restoration of his upper and lower teeth. He had lost a lot of teeth and the others were rotting. He was using dentures previously but found them uncomfortable and they also affected his experience of eating, so five implants were placed in the top and four along the bottom.
As you can see, they look incredibly natural and are already a huge improvement both aesthetically and physically. The patient went back to eating all the crunchy food that he couldn’t eat previously, the next day after treatment! In four months, he received his new, beautiful permanent set of teeth.
How do you care for the permanent implants?
Good oral hygiene is still vital and patients should care for implants as they would their real teeth. Sometimes, people request a special type of floss and tooth brush for added care. If you don’t practice good oral hygiene with your implants, plaque build-up and gum disease can occur, just as it would with real teeth. However, if you look after them, they can last a lifetime!
If you're interested in finding out more about the Teeth in a Day treatment, arrange an appointment with one of our dental implant specialists.
