A Full Mouth Dental Implant Case. The patient is always right!

This week we completed a full mouth upper implant case using a cast bar and denture teeth. This was the case in the laboratory.

On the articulator

One particular issue we has was the size of the teeth; the patient had a fixation on the size of teeth and was concerned that oversized teeth would make the denture stand out and not look natural. However we went ahead and made the fixed implant bridge as requested following the try in of the teeth she asked for.

Dental Implant Bridge Palatal View

Dental Implant Bridge Labial View

Here's the finished result notice the size of the denture teeth!

It's interesting to note the difference between how the bridge looked on the articulator and then in the mouth. On the arictulator the small size of the teeth were not as apparent, but in the mouth, with the reference points of the nose and smile it is immediately clear to us as dental professionals that they are slightly too small.

But the patient is always right? And she loved them, but this could so easily have been a mistake rather than a success.

So, what lessons can we draw from this?

I think the biggest lesson is to use photographs both in the laboratory and in the surgery to communicate and share. On articulators we can easily make a mistake as we don't have the reference points of the nose and smile... but in the mouth, those small mistakes quickly come to light.

So get those photos shared.... how else can we avoid simple mistakes like getting the size of the teeth right?

Technology makes implant dentures more predictable using Biomet

Over the years we have produced many, many implant cases using dentures on beams to restore the patient's teeth. Implant borne dentures on a beam solve a number of problems that fixed bridges don't:

1. They are removable which makes the case far more cleanable
2. They are far better at supporting the lip in cases of extreme bone loss
3. They can more easily be repaired

However, implant borne dentures aren't without their problems:

1. They often involve clips, attachments and/or milling which makes the cost unpredictable and often high
2. This wide use of components often means they need laser welding or soldering, this can introduce weaknesses in the design making them more prone to fracture
3. The bars are usually made of gold, while this is bio-compatible, the gold interfaces with titanium so there is a chance of some electrolytic corrosion at that interface

Modern advances in CADCAM technology have now brought together the advantages of implant beam dentures and made huge progress in removing the problems.

Using Biomet3i CAM StructSURE (r) Precision Milled Bars it is now possible to have all the benefits of a beam design with a denture AND have none of the conventional negatives. These bars are precision milled from a solid mass of industrial grade titanium which makes them incredibly strong and bio compatible.

Due to the savings made on components and manufacturing costs we are, amazingly, able to offer these bars at up to a 20% saving on our standard prices... so you get a better product at reduced price...a dental 'no brainer' really.

Biomet3i CAM StructSURE (r) Precision Milled Bars are also available in a design that is suitable for direct application of acrylic teeth, so if screw access position is good then this is a great alternative to the classic 'beam design' gold and acrylic denture.

For fixed conventional bridge work that requires composite layering (such as GC Gradia) , this is also possible using this same system using a CADCAM copy milling technique.

For further information and to discuss case management, please call Keith at the lab on 01707 663293