When enough teeth have issues causing them to fall out or be pulled, dentures are often one of the few options to repairing a person's smile. Dentures are fake replacement teeth, that can be either in a full set or in partials. With traditional dentures, an adhesive solution is needed to keep the teeth in place each day. However, with the invention of permanent dentures, dental patients now have more options to help make their life easier. Permanent dentures consist of a titanium or ceramic permanently installed bridge, which has attached to it dental implants, which secure the permanent dentures in place.
Structure
Permanent dentures consist of a titanium or ceramic permanently installed bridge, which acts like the roots of regular teeth. Attached to the bridge are dental implants, which secure the permanent dentures in place. The actual dentures are similar to removable dentures, only they are permanently affixed into the mouth.
Exam
Before you can have permanent dentures placed into your mouth, you must first have examination by your dentist. Your dentist can look at the structure and state of your gums and teeth (if any remain) and discuss the best options for your mouth. Your dentist may also recommend or explain specific ways to have your permanent dentures installed.
Preparation
Since everyone's mouth is different, special preparations must be made to ensure that your permanent dentures have the correct fit. Depending on the dentist, he may use a conventional process, or a guided process. The conventional process involves many of the same steps that regular dentures or other mouth products (such as braces or mouth guards) would use to get to the finished product. Your dentist will most likely take X-rays, and in some cases, may take a mouth impression as well. With guided preparation, your dentist will use a CT scan to get a full idea of the jaw bone and overall structure of the mouth. Because a CT scan is much more detailed than X-rays, the dentist can plan out the entire procedure, and place your dental implants in the perfect position in the mouth. Because of the added detail from the CT, the final teeth can also be designed before the implant procedure is done, allowing simultaneous installation.
Procedure
The procedure of installation will also vary depending on whether the dentist is using the conventional or guided method. Both methods use local anesthesia for the procedure. In the conventional installation, the dental implants are installed first. Once you have healed enough, an impression is made to fabricate the final teeth. The teeth are then installed at a later date. With the guided method, the final teeth have already been fabricated. This allows for the installation of both the implants and the teeth at the same time.
