Full Mouth Reconstruction Begins with a Consultation
Your full mouth reconstruction starts with an appointment to talk to Dr. Collins about your restorative needs. If you’re new to our practice, you can forward any material prepared by your previous dentist. In addition, Dr. Collins will perform an exam and take X-rays if necessary. These are free as part of your initial consultation. However, a full mouth reconstruction sometimes requires additional imagery to plan, such as a CBCT scan. Dr. Collins will let you know if he needs this other imagery and what it might cost.
Then, you’ll discuss your reconstruction goals, and together, you and Dr. Collins will work out the plan for your full mouth reconstruction.
Why You Might Need Full Mouth Reconstruction
Full mouth reconstruction is a less standard restorative dentistry procedure. People typically get it because they have suffered significant damage to their teeth. This damage might be all at once, or perhaps it happened over the years. In both cases, you might benefit from full mouth reconstruction.
Gum Disease
Gum disease is the leading cause of tooth loss among American adults. Developing severe gum disease can lead to the loss of multiple teeth, requiring extensive reconstruction. Gum disease can also lead to bone loss, requiring a bone graft as part of treatment.
Dental Trauma
Dental trauma such as a car accident, fall, or violence might cause significant damage to your teeth. This might benefit from a comprehensive repair approach to restore your smile’s function and appearance. Dr. Collins will evaluate your teeth individually to save the ones it’s best to preserve and replace the ones that are better extracted.
Mismatched Restorations
Over the years, you might have had numerous restorative dentistry procedures. A crown here. A filling there. A dental bridge and maybe even a dental implant.
These restorations may have aged differently if they were placed well individually. Old materials might look better than they did when placed. Crowns that initially matched might not match now. Perhaps your natural teeth have changed too much and no longer fit your restorations.
Often, this is more than a cosmetic problem. Your dental restorations may not match each other functionally. Full mouth reconstruction takes a unified approach to your repairs so that they will look attractive and function properly together.
Procedures Used in Full Mouth Reconstructions
Your full mouth reconstruction will be a custom procedure. You will work with Dr. Collins to select the best methods to repair your teeth and achieve your reconstruction goals. Standard techniques used in full mouth reconstructions include:
Fillings
We’ll use fillings if you have cavities. For most cavities, composite fillings work very well, but for large fillings that compromise the strength of the tooth, we recommend ceramic fillings, called inlays and onlays.
Dental Bonding
Dental bonding uses a similar material to composite fillings to repair damaged teeth. Dr. Collins will apply bonding material to the damaged tooth and shape the bonding to look like a natural tooth. Once hardened, it can be polished to look like natural tooth enamel.
Dental Crowns
Crowns cover the entire visible surface of the tooth. It protects the damaged tooth, lets you chew normally, and looks like a natural tooth.
Root Canal Therapy
When your tooth is infected or at risk of getting infected, Dr. Collins will use root canal therapy. In this procedure, he removes the living part of the tooth and fills it with inert material. The new material performs the function of the tooth interior but won’t get infected. Usually, Dr. Collins will cover a treated tooth with a dental crown.
Dental Bridges
A dental bridge uses your natural teeth to support a replacement tooth–or uses dental implants to replace multiple teeth. It’s a practical approach for teeth replacement in certain situations. You’ll get fully functional replacement teeth that are permanently bonded in place.
Dentures
Dentures are removable tooth replacements. A partial denture replaces one or more missing teeth. Your remaining teeth usually support it. A full denture replaces an entire arch of teeth and is supported by suction. This isn’t a strong force, so full dentures have a reputation for falling out frequently and not being adequate for chewing.
However, we also offer removable dentures secured in your mouth with dental implants. This helps them stay firmly in place so you can smile and chew confidently.
Dental Implants
Dental implants are the tooth replacement option most like your natural teeth. They have an artificial root (usually titanium) that bonds to your jawbone, making them completely secure in your mouth. If you don’t have enough bone to support your dental implants, Dr. Collins might perform a bone graft procedure to augment your bone.
Atop the implants, you will have a dental crown for a single replacement tooth or a dental bridge that can replace multiple teeth. We also offer the All-on-4 dental implant system, which returns an entire arch of teeth with just four dental implants.
Get Full Mouth Reconstruction in Cheney
If you have experienced significant damage to your teeth, you might benefit from a combination of restorative dentistry procedures called a full mouth reconstruction. You don’t have to leave Cheney to get this sophisticated procedure. Dr. Chris Collins performs it right here.
Please call (509) 235-8451 or use our online form today to request an appointment at Collins Family Dentistry in Cheney, WA.
