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Dental Implants and Fixed Partial Denture Bridge Case Study
A patient who we will refer to as “Cooper” came to us. He
had lost several teeth in the lower arch several years past. At the time, he
did not have the ability to pay for dental implants, and, not knowing much about
them anyway, had opted for the less expensive route of a partial set of
dentures. For a while, the dentures worked ok for him, but by the time he came
to see us, he said he was having difficulty chewing.
This is not an uncommon dilemma that people for people who
opt for partial dentures. They are very affordable in comparison to titanium
dental implants used in full mouth reconstruction work. Unfortunately, even
affordability sometimes comes with a price. Partials are made from softer
materials than dental implants. A person who wears them cannot eat certain
foods. He or she also has to remove the partials periodically for cleaning, and
many times partials cause embarrassing moments when they make noise during
dinner—or even worse—fall out.
The first thing we did for Cooper was to help him find a
financial plan that would make it possible for him to afford a full mouth
reconstruction with dental implants. We have many such financial services
available here at the Cosmetic Dentistry Center of the Houston Medical Center
Dental Group. Once we were able to arrange this service for our patient, we
took a closer look at the condition of his mouth, focusing specifically on the
degree of bone loss he had suffered in his jaws.
When jawbones lose teeth, they lose a surface around which
they are accustomed to growing. If no dental implant is placed in the bone, it
recedes and begins to deteriorate. This is yet another problem people with
partials face after they have worn them for a few years. Bone loss occurs to
the extent that placing dental implants becomes increasingly complex.
Sometimes, cosmetic dentists have to use a combination of implant dentistry and
other tooth replacement options to make use of what bone mass is still
available. This is what we had to do in Cooper’s case, because he had already
lost too much bone in his lower jaw to replace every missing tooth with an
implant.
We located four key positions along the jawbone that
provided sufficient surface area into which we could place 4 titanium dental
implants. These implants, in turn, provided anchor points to which we attached
a new, removable denture that was custom made for Cooper’s mouth. The denture
was made with an acrylic palate that covered the top of Cooper’s mouth. The
partial snapped into place over the implants, and anchored so firmly in place
that we were then able to cut the acrylic away and expose the palate. This is
necessary in full mouth reconstruction work because the palate, like the tongue,
plays a role in helping us feel and taste the food we eat. Removing the acrylic
roof to the partials made it possible for Cooper to better enjoy meals he ate,
and it also made the partials more comfortable for him to wear.
Ideally, it is always better to act early on when teeth are
lost so there will still be sufficient bone mass to support dental implants.
However, in all practicality, many people like Cooper have worn dentures for
many years and have already lost a great deal of their jaws prior to visiting a
cosmetic dentist. For these people, there is still hope for a full mouth
reconstruction and the restoration of a normal lifestyle and robust healthy
diet—not to mention the aesthetics of a brand new smile and a whole new sense of
confidence that comes from the feeling of tooth replacements that feel more like
real teeth than false teeth.
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