What a Customized Full Mouth Reconstruction Entails
Sep 09, 2024
If you have multiple dental issues, you may need more than one procedure. Your dentist may recommend a full mouth reconstruction.
Our board-certified cosmetic and general dentists and oral surgeons with Tropical Dental Care develop a team approach to full mouth reconstructions (also called full mouth restorations). We customize your restoration to your individual needs.
A full mouth reconstruction involves multiple dental procedures to ensure oral health and improve smile quality. Unlike a smile makeover, which involves elective procedures, we perform full mouth restoration because you have dental issues that impede normal function.
This process often involves many of your teeth. We may perform any of the following procedures needed to restore your oral health: tooth extractions, fillings, dental implants, crowns, bridges, dentures, bonding, periodontal procedures such as gum grafting, or orthodontic procedures.
If you need a full mouth reconstruction, you have more than one dental issue impairing oral function. For example, you may have bite problems from genetics or a childhood habit of thumb-sucking. Your bite problems could result in a need for orthodontics to correct them.
A bad bite can lead to headaches, neck pain, TMJ dysfunction, and difficulty chewing and speaking. Your teeth will likely experience premature wear and tear. You may grind your teeth down in your sleep. You may have cracked or otherwise damaged teeth that need crowns or bridges.
Perhaps gum recession or poor oral hygiene when you were younger has caused infections and tooth loss. It’s important to replace missing teeth. Even one missing tooth leads to bone loss within a few months, affecting your bite. If you have too much bone loss, eventually, your facial structure collapses.
A full mouth restoration includes all dental procedures needed to restore oral health.
We take X-rays, scans, and photos of your teeth and review your dental records. We discuss our proposed plan and describe the potential procedures and the problems they will solve.
Your full mouth reconstruction could take a few weeks, months, or up to a year, depending on what needs to be done in your specific case. Orthodontic treatment can take six months to a year or more.
If you need dental implants, the process could take almost a year if you need a bone graft to replace lost bone in your jaw. Healthy bone is needed for the implants to adhere to it.
If you don’t need a bone graft, your dentist first anchors titanium posts into your jawbone. This is the base for new artificial teeth. Your bone needs time to grow around the posts—anywhere from 3 to 6 months. You’ll get a temporary crown. When your bone is ready, we place permanent crowns on your titanium base.
If implants aren’t in your budget, you may choose partial or complete dentures or implant-supported dentures to restore your chewing ability and support your facial structure.
Gum grafting to restore lost gum from gum recession is another surgical procedure. Your dentist takes gum from the roof of your mouth and places it over the roots of your teeth where the gum has pulled away from the tooth. You’ll need to eat soft foods for a couple of weeks and follow special instructions for cleaning your teeth.
You may need crowns or bridges if you have cracked or otherwise damaged teeth with a lot of decay. A bridge is an artificial tooth with crowns on either side that support the artificial tooth. A crown can be completed in one visit; a bridge takes a bit longer.
Once your full mouth reconstruction is complete, you'll love your new smile. Plus, you’ll have improved oral function and a healthy mouth. Call Tropical Dental Care or request an appointment through our online portal today.