From Devastation To Rehabilitation: How A Dentist Replaces An Entire Row Of Teeth

Posted on: 29 May 2023

When you realize that a dental arch refers to an entire row of teeth, a full arch rehabilitation sounds like a drastic form of treatment—as you will be replacing an entire upper or lower row of teeth. And yet your dentist tells you that the replacement (or rehabilitation) of an entire dental arch is a relatively simple procedure. How is this possible?

Different Procedures

It may seem like full arch rehabilitation necessitates a number of different procedures, starting with restoring and reinforcing the remaining teeth in the arch in question. Conceivably, this could involve root canals (for teeth with necrotic nerve tissue), with the tooth's structure then rebuilt with tooth-colored composite resin fillings or even dental crowns. In terms of your ultimate objective and the required treatment time, attempting to save remaining teeth in a compromised dental arch can be ineffective.

Restoring Teeth

Full arch rehabilitation is often best achieved by the extraction of isolated remaining teeth. Remember that these teeth may already be in a state of advanced deterioration, and while restoring individual teeth is conceivably possible, it's time-consuming and the success of the procedure is by no means assured. The remaining teeth in a dental arch also create literal obstacles for the placement of a dental prosthesis (false teeth), which must be constructed around these remaining teeth. A clean sweep tends to provide the best results.

Dental Extraction

This clean sweep begins with the extraction of your remaining teeth. If the teeth are decayed, they may be sectioned prior to removal, to prevent them from breaking up. You will be given a local anesthetic and won't experience any pain during these extractions. You now have an empty dental arch, and all the teeth in the arch must be replaced to restore the function of your bite. This will be accomplished with dental implants.

Dental Implants

A dental implant is a synthetic substitute for an artificial tooth root. It's a small titanium rod inserted into the jaw. When the bone heals around it, a realistic porcelain dental crown is secured to the implant. If you think that inserting a titanium implant to replace each tooth in your arch sounds intensive, you're correct. This is not the process for a full arch rehabilitation. 

Implant-Supported Dentures

You will receive as little as four dental implants to support a custom-made denture, which has been made to replicate your (now absent) missing teeth. These four implants can be used to support a denture of up to 14 teeth (or the entire arch). The implants may be placed simultaneously with your extractions, as the empty dental sockets (which won't be empty once your jaw heals) make ideal insertion points for your implants.

Each case is different, but in contemporary dentistry, full arch rehabilitation often simply involves preparing your dental arch for an implant-supported denture. Your arch can go from devastation to rehabilitation with surprising speed.

For more information on full arch rehabilitation, contact a dentist near you.

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Providing Children With Dental Knowledge

When my three children were young, they were all excited to go to the dentist. The dentist's office was great fun with a large fish tank and a variety of puzzle toys in the waiting room. I liked the pediatric dental office so much that I jumped at the chance when I was offered a receptionist job. Many of the children who came to see the dentist were not nearly as happy as my children. Most kids were scared and anxious, and I learned fairly quickly that the children were worried because they had no idea what to expect. The dentist at the office provided me with a set of dental tools that I could show to the children. I explained how each of the devices worked. This eased the fears, and I started this blog so parents could share dental information with their children before dental visits.

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