Advancing age, dental problems (loose dentures or plates; missing teeth; failed root canals and bridges) and accidents all slowly deprive us of the ability to enjoy our day to day lives; difficulty chewing a healthy range of food options; anxiety in social settings with unstable dentures often presenting an unnatural appearance and less than ideal smile.

In the past, dentists would recommend dentures to their patients when needing to replace their missing teeth; initially the dentures would house a few teeth and some patients would be content with these appliances, but eventually these patients would progress to the need for full arches of teeth or full dentures; this transition was commonly associated with a deterioration in patient contentment with both poorer retention (function) and appearance (form) of the denture.

There are many potential problems with dentures/plates –

  • Patients often complain that the denture doesn’t look as natural as their own natural teeth once did and that the denture feels huge or enormous in their mouths (this can be the case even dentures replacing a few teeth)
  • Patients complain that the dentures interferes or reduces their ability to taste and hence enjoy food, due to the amount of gum that the denture covers
  • Patients complain that the denture aren’t as stable as the teeth they replaced and therefore the patient is restricted to a limited range of soft to medium density foods (difficult to eat nuts, crusty breads, biscuits and steaks)
  • Patients should remove the dentures/plates overnight to rest the underlying gum tissues and reduce the risk of damaging adjacent teeth
  • The denture/plate will need to be renewed/relined from time to time as the denture fit will worsen as the underlying jaw bone dissolves and changes shape

Fortunately, due to some amazing scientific developments, there are now reliable and affordable treatment alternatives available to those people who would have formerly been recommended dentures. One of the options is the Teeth in a Day procedure. But are you eligible for the treatment?

What Does ‘Teeth in a Day’ Mean?

A modern solution to replacing damaged or missing teeth; the Teeth in a Day procedure is a total oral rehabilitation process whereby patients can present to surgery with their current dentures or missing teeth in the morning and leave in the evening with new implant retained teeth or bridges that same day.

The procedure involves implanting a metal fixture (dental implant; all on four; all on six; root form implant; zygomatic implant) into the jaw or facial bones, which then acts as an anchor to fasten the new tooth / teeth replacements. The new appliance (dental prosthetic; implant retained crown; implant retained over-denture; implant retained hybrid bridge) may house one or many teeth. On the same day that dental implants are placed, the new dental appliance (previously planned and prepared according to a customised treatment plan) is temporarily fitted and attached to the dental implants. The appliance and teeth are checked for appearance, bite and overall fit; the new teeth are then permanently attached to the implants via internal screws, thus creating an instant natural appearing new smile – all in one day. Over time (3 months), the implant fuses with the patient’s jawbone and remains as a long lasting support for the new teeth, a process known as osseo-integration.

The result? You can be transformed from an uncomfortable dissatisfying situation with your current deteriorated teeth and smile to a ‘new you’ with the benefits of implant retained teeth; creating comfortable and natural looking teeth that compliment your smile; inspiring greater self confidence and well being; all within a relatively short period of time.

As a Specialist Surgeon, patients under my care can choose to have the procedure performed completely asleep (under general anaesthetic within a Private Hospital); clearly a great relief to those patients who may be anxious about having treatment done awake (local anaesthetic).

What used to happen before the Teeth in a Day procedure?

The technical process of Dental implant treatment continues to evolve and improve over the years, thus revolutionising the range of options that Specialist Surgeons can provide to suitable patients. In the past, losing teeth meant that badly fitting and uncomfortable dentures (often with messy adhesives that went along with them) were the only solution to rehabilitating the teeth (function) and smile (form). Patients with partially destroyed teeth often had to submit to painful, expensive and often drawn-out dental procedures (endodontic; root canal; periodontic; root scaling) that were successful for a very short time.

Even after dental implant procedures were introduced to more modern dentistry, some patients were told that implants were not suitable for them due to abnormal bone shape (bone resorption), reduced density (osteoporosis) or poor quality (osteopenia) bone. As a Specialist Surgeon, I have extensive knowledge and experience to deal with even the most advanced cases of bone loss or diminished bone quality and can provide a broad range of customised treatment options (some without bone grafting), often not even considered by others.

Bone grafting may be considered to be the best option (usually after thorough analysis with CT or Cone Beam CBCT scans); in all cases, the CT / CBCT scans and bone grafting procedures are covered by Medicare rebates ensuring the treatment is more affordable when you are treated by a Specialist Surgeon. Of course, patients with Health Funds will also receive further rebates as entitled by fund membership.

What are the Benefits of the Teeth in a Day procedure?

Compared to traditional staged implant surgery (Removal of Tooth / Teeth followed by Implant Placement 3 months later with completion of the implant tooth after a further 3 month period – Total 6 months treatment time), the ‘Teeth in a Day’ procedure offers:

  • A single surgical procedure (Removal of teeth + Implant placement + Implant teeth replacement) and hence a single recovery period and ability to resume day-to-day life sooner after the surgery
  • A reduced number of stages required to complete implant treatment
  • An immediate outcome – instantly renewing your smile, improving appearance and chewing function with custom fitted and comfortable teeth
  • A fully customised solution – treatment is designed according to the individual patient parameters – facial shape; bone contours; smile shape; dental bite   
  • CT scan based digital planning with combined with 3D scanning allows for creation of highly accurate surgical guides – this device decreases the surgical time, reduces potential for surgical complications and minimises the need for bone grafting procedures – resulting in a speedy recovery with less discomfort after surgery
  • A final product that offers durability, long-term stability (value for money) and increased patient satisfaction
  • No need for patients to cope with poorly fitting dentures (during the implant healing phase)
  • A viable treatment option even for patients with severe or advanced jaw bone loss/resorption
  • A more natural look and feel – the implant retained teeth are less bulky and don’t ‘fill your mouth’ with plastic
  • Easier to maintain – the design of the implant retained appliance is easy for patients to clean using basic oral hygiene measures (tooth brushing/flossing)

Am I Eligible for the ‘Teeth in a Day’ Procedure?

The ‘Teeth in a Day’ procedure is suitable for a wide range of patients who are unhappy or dissatisfied with their existing smile; whether this is due to broken down or worn teeth, bridgework or poorly fitting dentures; even patients who may have reduced bone density (osteoporosis) or volume (osteopenia) may be candidates. The Specialist Surgeons at the Dental Implant & Specialist Centre are experts in patient assessment and can readily manage many potential medical complaints that may have denied patients the option of implant treatment previously.

In the past, bone resorption (bone loss that often occurs after tooth removal) resulted in the need for bone replacement procedures (alveolar bone grafting/sinus lifting/block bone graft harvesting/osteodistraction) to be performed prior to placement of implants; some of these procedures are quite invasive and may have long recovery periods; understandably this will discourage some patients from proceeding with implant treatment.

The latest innovative surgical techniques (CT scan derived custom 3D guided planning / virtual surgery planning / atraumatic tooth removal / minimally invasive procedures / immediate implant placement / immediate implant temporization) in the hands of a skilled Specialist Surgeon can offer patients implant treatment without the lengthy delays commonly associated encountered with routine multi-stage implant procedures.

What’s Involved in a ‘Teeth in a Day Procedure’?

At the Dental Implant & Specialist Centre, our Specialist Surgeons and supporting team are entirely focused on patient care; providing a complete ‘start to finish’ service, with an emphasis on utilizing the latest technology to deliver precise and minimally invasive treatment that encourages faster recovery times and fewer complications.

Treatment is planned using CT or CBCT scan derived data to create a computerised 3D model of the patients skull and jaws; virtual (computer-based) surgery can then be undertaken which allows for greater visualisation and understanding of the patient’s individual anatomy (face and jaw shape); the exact position, size and angulation of the implants can be established in order to create optimal tooth position and enhance both form (facial aesthetics and smile) and function (dental bite, speech and chewing ability). In this way, the treatment is restoratively driven, meaning that the final outcome (Implant retained teeth) is considered at the start of treatment, well prior to any procedure on the patient.

The ‘Teeth in a Day’ implant treatment generally consists of three stages (not including the Consultation and Planning appointment):

Stage 1: Our highly trained and skilled Specialist Surgeons will gently and atraumatically remove the damaged teeth and associated infected tissue, minimizing loss and damage to the investing jaw (alveolar) bone. The dental implants are placed at this same stage for most patients. This means that a second surgical procedure (for implant placement, which is often delayed for 3 months) is not necessary; there is also clearly no need for a second post-surgery recovery period. Some patients will have a temporary tooth (Implant retained crown) / bridge (all on four; all on six; implant retained over-denture) fitted to the implant at this stage (thus, your new ‘Teeth in a Day’!).

Stage 2: The bone of the jaw heals around the implant in the three months following stage 1. The dental implant is tested to ensure that it’s fused to the bone (Osseo-integrated) and hence ready to have final crown or bridge attached. The latest 3D optical scanning technology (TRIOS 3-Shape) is then employed by our Specialist Surgeons to accurately create a digital scan both the implants and your mouth (thus avoiding the need for uncomfortable and gag-inducing impression material in the mouth); this digital scan is then used to construct the final custom designed (size, shape and colour) implant retained tooth or bridge.

State 3: Around three to four weeks after stage 2, the final implant retained crown or bridge is ready to be inserted and often needs little or no adjustment. Your final implant retained prosthesis is usually immediately comfortable and ready for many years of trouble-free talking, chewing and smiling!

Are you interested in finding out more about our ‘Teeth in a Day’ procedure? Contact our experts today on (07) 5503 1744.