Full Mouth Reconstruction: Everything you Need to Know

Plenty of people use the phrases smile makeover and full mouth reconstruction interchangeably.

You should know that a smile makeover is a slighter procedure that you can opt for anytime involving teeth whitening, fillings, and dental cleanings while a full mouth reconstruction is a procedure that you need and it involves more complex treatments.

When is full mouth reconstruction needed?

• when the patient lost several teeth due to an accident or due to severe dental decay
• when the teeth/jaw bone are severely fractured
• when the teeth of the upper and/or lower jaw line are extremely worn due to acid erosion
• when the patient struggles with dental occlusion

Dental examination for full mouth reconstruction

Your dentist is going to examine your teeth, your jaw, the periodontal tissues, occlusion (bite) & the jaw muscles. Then, he is going to determine the exact types of dental treatments that you need as part of the full mouth reconstruction program.

The dentist will decide whether you need dental crowns, bridges or dental implants to replace the badly fractured/damaged teeth.

Then, if there is a problem with your gum tissues and if you have periodontal disease, the dentist will address that problem, as well.

You may have to go through gum reconstruction treatments, or bone grafting in order for the implants to have a solid foundation.

For a healthy dental structure, one needs to have a correct and stable bite. Correcting occlusion is an extremely important part of full mouth reconstruction.

This way, you will be able to open/close your mouth and chew or speak without any problems (such as pain in the jaw).

You might have to wear braces or a special bite reprogramming orthotic device. Only after this problem is treated, can the dentist proceed to taking care of the rest of your dental problems.

The last aspect of full mouth reconstruction is the aesthetical part. The dentist will make sure to create stable, naturally shaped teeth which are in a very good proportion related to your gums and your entire facial musculature.

Full mouth reconstruction is an extensive and expensive type of treatment, but it will change your life especially if you struggle with a severely damaged oral health.

Some of the restoration procedures used in full mouth reconstruction

• periodontal treatment + deep teeth cleaning
• repositioning of the jaw through orthognathic surgery (in case of malocclusion or TMJ disorders)
• gum tissue contouring (tissue reduction in case of a “gummy smile”)
• tooth structure reduction, in case you opt for dental veneers, bridges or crowns. In case of dental implants, the badly damaged teeth are extracted
• fitting of the dental implants, crowns, bridges or dental veneers
• preparation & fitting of the dental braces
• if the patient has a very low jaw bone density, bone grafting will be needed to allow the stabilization of a dental implant