Can you really get teeth in a day?
The answer is yes you can. With modern dental technology a person can go from having terrible, hopeless teeth to a new smile in one day. But it doesn’t happen the same day as you walk into a dental office for the first time. There is a lot of planning and preparation work that goes into getting this procedure done. The lead time might be up to 6 weeks.
When a patient arrives thinking about the teeth in a day procedure, the doctor will carefully examine their mouth, review their health history, and make a 3 D x ray. At that point, the dentist will talk to the patient about various procedures that can help their dental condition. One of these might be a procedure to provide them with teeth in one day.
If that is appropriate and the patient wants to proceed, finances are discussed. The investment for this kind of work is substantial. Insurance if any, will pay only a very small fraction of the investment.
The teeth in one day treatment is a prothesis that is screwed down to implants in the patient’s jaw. It is often placed on just 4 implants. This might be slightly more economical but can lead to the loss of the entire appliance if just one implant fails. In my opinion, 5 to 7 implants are necessary to give you a much better probability of success over a longer period.
On the day of the surgery and placement, the patient is sedated to provide a comfortable experience. Any remaining teeth are extracted, and the necessary implants are placed. At that point sutures are placed and a provisional prothesis is screwed onto the implants. You will leave the office with a new smile and enter a healing period.
One thing they don’t tell you in the TV commercials is that you must not chew anything for a period of up to 3 months. You will be smiling, but you won’t be chewing right away. This is the time that it takes for implants to heal to the bone. Chewing forces can cause this healing to fail.
After the initial healing period, you will be able to chew and eat what you want. After final healing, 6 to 12 months later, the provisional appliance should be replaced with a permanent appliance. Many of the new permanent appliances are now made from milled zirconia and are very strong and resilient, as well as being fabulously beautiful.
There are some contraindications for doing this procedure, as well as some medical conditions that make it a higher risk, but your doctor will certainly discuss these with you before starting any treatment.
If you have further questions, please call the Dental Cosmetic Center-Bay Area for a complimentary consultation.
