Full mouth reconstructions differ from smile makeovers in that the reconstruction process is focused more on function while a smile makeover is more about your appearance [1]. However, the end goal of a full mouth reconstruction isn’t just to have your smile function properly, but to look beautiful as well.

So what exactly would a full mouth reconstruction include, and what is the process like?

Procedures a Full Mouth Reconstruction May Include

The reconstruction process can include a wide variety of procedures, and not every patient will need every procedure. The process is highly personalized because it depends on your unique smile. Depending on your oral health, budget, and any cosmetic concerns you have about your smile, a full mouth reconstruction can include:

• Dental crowns
• Dental bridges
• Dental implants
• Extractions
• Fillings
• Gum contouring
• Orthodontics
• Periodontal (gum) therapy
• Root canal therapy
• Veneers

You can address multiple issues with your smile with a full mouth reconstruction, which typically means multiple treatment options for patients who qualify.

Candidates for Full Mouth Reconstructions

Virtually anyone is a candidate for a full mouth reconstruction. People who are missing most or all of their natural teeth, or those who have extensive tooth decay or gum disease, are some of the best candidates for the reconstruction process.

However, people who have worn-down teeth due to bruxism also qualify [2]. If you have existing tooth restorations that need to be updated or replaced, such as fillings, bridges, veneers, or dental crowns, a full mouth reconstruction may be an option to comprehensively restore your smile.

Benefits of Reconstructing Your Smile

Reconstructing your smile has many long-term benefits for both your confidence and your oral health. Although a mouth reconstruction is an investment that takes multiple steps to complete, the final result is often well worth the process.

Although function is the primary goal of a full mouth reconstruction, cosmetic dentistry treatments such as teeth whitening can also be done at appropriate intervals during the process to ensure your new smile looks just as good as it feels [3].

How to Get Started

Getting started with a full mouth reconstruction is as simple as contacting your dentist for a consultation. Your dentist will review your current oral health, take impressions if needed, and work with you to design your new smile. Then, you can get started scheduling your appointments. Soon, you’ll have a gorgeous new smile that you can maintain for life!

Sources:
1. https://www.gotoapro.org/full-mouth-reconstruction/
2. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26229695/
3. https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/medicine-and-dentistry/full-mouth-
rehabilitation

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Once your actual dental implant is placed, this will need to heal for a period of time before you get your crown attached to the end. During this period of time, your mouth will likely be sore and possibly bruised. It’s best to eat cold foods and drinks as much as possible. It’s also vital that you do not touch your dental implant. You can use ice to help with the swelling if needed.

Your dentist may give you a special mouthwash to use during this time, but you should avoid brushing the dental implant while it’s healing; this may take a few days. Always follow your dentist’s care instructions!

Once Your Implant Has Healed

Once your implant has healed and the crown is attached, gently clean your dental implant with a soft-bristled tooth brush. Avoid aggressive brushing—it’s not necessary. You need to keep your dental implant clean and remove plaque daily through brushing and flossing. Keeping your dental implants clean can extend the lifespan of your crown and keep your implant healthy and strong!

If you smoke, getting dental implants is good motivation to quit. Smoking not only increases your risk for gum disease and oral cancer, but prevents healing in the mouth. While your dental implant is healing, it’s crucial to avoid smoking to reduce the chances of infection so that your implant can heal.

Long-Term Care

Brushing and flossing your dental implants regularly just like your natural teeth can help you maintain great oral health. Gentle brushing is easy enough, but flossing may require a little extra effort around your dental implants. You should use the floss to get trapped food and plaque underneath your dental crown near the top of your implant.

Food or plaque that get trapped in this section can cause problems, so take a few extra seconds to get underneath your dental crown. This can help make sure your dental implants are squeaky clean and healthy! You should also visit your dentist regularly to ensure your dental implants are doing great. Your crown will need to be replaced eventually, so your dentist can examine your implants during your visit and let you know how you’re doing with your oral care.

Dental implants are one of the best choices for effective tooth replacement. Taking care of your dental implants requires brushing and flossing just like your natural teeth. You’ll also need to visit the dentist just like you do for your regular smile. Enjoy your new dental implants with these best care habits!

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But who qualifies for a full mouth reconstruction? These procedures aren’t for every patient, but certain patients do need a full mouth reconstruction based on what their oral health situation is. From patients who are missing several teeth to patients with no teeth, here are the top candidates for full mouth reconstruction.

People with Tooth Loss from Trauma

If you’ve had an accident or trauma to your mouth area that’s led to tooth loss, you could be a candidate for full mouth reconstruction. Top candidates include those that have injured teeth, which include fractured or chipped teeth. Your dentist may choose to correct these with dental crowns, or if you’re missing the entire tooth, dental implants will likely be a better option for you.

Patients with Extensive Tooth Decay

If you have extensive tooth decay throughout your mouth, you may qualify for full mouth reconstruction. Your dentist will attempt to save your natural teeth, if possible, but this may require more than just fillings. Your teeth may require dental crowns, inlays, or onlays to protect your teeth from future decay. While inlays are generally used for larger cavities where a simple filling would be ineffective, onlays can help preserve tooth structure by filling in missing cusps of your teeth.

People with Extremely Worn Teeth

Your teeth were meant to last your entire life. However, sometimes poor oral hygiene or bad habits can lead to excessively worn teeth. This can come from habits such as bruxism (teeth grinding) or conditions such as enamel erosion. Enamel erosion can happen from acid reflux or from having a poor diet high in sugar and carbohydrates. When teeth are extremely worn down or damaged, your dentist may suggest a full mouth reconstruction.

Patients with Tooth Loss from Gum Disease

Gum disease—if left to progress—will eventually attack the ligaments that anchor your teeth in your jaw. This will lead to symptoms such as bleeding gums and loose teeth. If gum disease is advanced, you can ultimately lose your teeth. If you have tooth loss from gum disease, you may be able to get a full mouth reconstruction to help restore your smile!

Temporomandibular Joint Disorder (TMD)

These disorders commonly affect the jaw and the muscles that control the jaw, but they can also affect your bite and teeth wear. Symptoms of jaw muscle pain, ongoing jaw problems, poor bite, and headaches could all point to a TMD. You may qualify for a full mouth reconstruction if orthodontics is unable to correct your bite or joint pain!

Your smile is one of the most important things about you. It gives you the confidence to smile and speak, it helps you chew food, and it keeps your facial structure intact to prevent an aging appearance. Talk to your dentist to see if you’re a candidate for a full mouth reconstruction. Life’s too short to go without a beautiful smile!

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As we age, we’re more at risk to develop gum disease, or periodontal disease. The elderly population has the highest rates of gum disease, and this could be so for many reasons. One of the reasons is that gum disease is often not noticeable until it’s too late to reverse—this is especially true if you smoke, which can constrict blood vessels in the mouth and inhibit the signs and symptoms of gum disease from appearing.

These symptoms include red and swollen gums, bleeding while brushing, and tooth sensitivity. Gum disease will eventually begin to affect your tooth’s roots. Our teeth need firm, healthy gums to support them. When your gums and the connective tissues that support your teeth are compromised, teeth can become loose and fall out.

Poor Oral Hygiene Habits

Taking the best care of our teeth starts early in life and continues throughout our lives. While occasionally skipping nightly brushing likely won’t have a huge impact on your smile, years of doing this can cause bacteria to accumulate at an accelerated pace. These bad bacteria in your mouth can lead to enamel erosion, cavities, tooth decay, and gum disease.

As we age, we’re more prone to lose teeth if we’ve been neglecting brushing or flossing on a regular basis. Dental checkups are a big part of this picture—your dentist can spot areas you’re regularly missing and remove built-up plaque during your visit. When we neglect our dental health, we’re setting ourselves up for tooth loss later in life!

Trauma or Disease

Another big reason that so many adults are missing teeth is due to trauma. These types of trauma generally come in the form of accidents—a car accident, a contact sport foul play, an injury. Although accidents can be unavoidable, it’s essential to visit your dentist after the trauma to ensure your teeth are healthy and to repair any broken or chipped teeth or to replace missing ones.

Illness can also lead to tooth loss. Chronic disease requires that many patients be on medication, and many medications can lead to dry mouth. When your mouth produces less saliva, your teeth are not as well protected. This generally leads to overgrowth of bad bacteria and enamel erosion that can lead to tooth decay. Talk with your dentist about how your medication may be affecting your smile!

It’s important to remember that your teeth are part of your mouth for life, so taking care of them is crucial to retain them! Without the proper care, tooth decay and gum disease make tooth loss a very real possibility. Visit your dentist to ensure your teeth are healthy, and always visit your dentist after any trauma to your mouth. You can protect your teeth for life and prevent tooth loss by doing so!

Image courtesy of StockImages at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

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What are some of the aesthetic benefits of full mouth reconstruction?

1. Appearance of Mouth

A full mouth reconstruction can repair damaged or worn down teeth. It allows you to have a full set of top and bottom teeth that are uniform in color, shape, and size. Gaps are no longer visible, broken teeth are repaired or covered, and unsightly stains are hidden away or professionally cleared away.

2. Sound of Chewing

Full mouth reconstruction can also involve taking care of a person’s jaw. This should take care of any clicking sound that occurs while chewing. For many, this can make it embarrassing to eat around others. It also causes pain and can make the eating experience less enjoyable. Thus, there is a two-fold benefit.

3. Better Breath

Having your teeth in order makes it far easier to keep them clean. When teeth are clean and there is no place for bacteria to hide, it results in better smelling breath. Cleaner teeth, however, mean more than just better breath. Good oral health also decreases risk of heart disease and other conditions that can be caused by poor dental hygiene.

4. Improved Sleep Patterns

A healthy mouth will allow you to get more restful sleep than if you are constantly in pain. You do not have to think long to recognize the aesthetic value of sleep, plus dark circles under a person’s eyes are never appealing! You can always tell when a person is well rested versus someone who had a rough night (or several years’ worth of nights with poor sleep).

5. Increased Sense of Well-Being

When someone is happy and confident, it is easy to tell. Such a good sense of well-being is very attractive, and with a picture perfect smile, you will always be the first one to smile for the camera. Improved self-esteem results in positive feelings of self, and that is a contagious good feeling which will make people want to be around you. A brand new smile could be the key to a happier, healthier new you. Talk with your dentist about full mouth reconstruction today.

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Some examples of dental reconstruction procedures include:

Periodontal treatment – This is treatment for gum disease, which may include cleaning, scaling and root planing.

Restorative dental treatment – This involves repairing or replacing decayed, damaged or missing teeth. Restorative procedures may include full or partial dentures, bridges, crowns, implants or some combination of any of these.

Cosmetic dentistry – Cosmetic treatments to improve the appearance of the teeth can be part of the reconstruction process. These might include veneers, bonding or teeth whitening.

Surgical procedures – In some cases, oral surgery may be part of a full mouth reconstruction. If a decision has been made to pull teeth rather than attempting to save them, this may be done by an oral surgeon depending on how many teeth need to be extracted and the condition of the teeth and surrounding gums. Procedures to save some teeth, such as root canal therapy, may be involved. Implants require surgery to the gums, and in some cases, bone grafting may also be performed.

Orthodontics – Braces, invisible aligners, retainers and other methods of moving and straightening teeth may be employed either alone or as part of a full mouth reconstruction when some other treatment is necessary (such as tooth extraction) prior to orthodontics being used.

A full mouth reconstruction that involves several different procedures will take a period of time to complete, with healing time necessary between each step. In many cases more than one dentist will be involved in the reconstruction, such as when surgery or orthodontics are part of the reconstruction. Dental Reconstruction can be a large and often complicated process, but the smile yielded is more than worth it!

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