Your teeth are meant to last a lifetime, but life often has different plans for millions of Americans. By the numbers, about 178 million people in the United States are missing at least one tooth and 40 million people are missing all of their teeth.
And this tooth loss tends to increase with age — more than 1 in 10 people between the ages of 65 and 74 have lost all of their teeth, and this number jumps to 1 in 5 for people aged 75 and older.
As an expert in implant dentistry, Dr. Robert F. Wilcox is all too familiar with the increasing rates of tooth loss. That’s why we’re pleased to offer the most effective solution out there for replacing teeth — implant-supported dentures, also called All-on-X.
Here’s a look at this innovative approach to tooth replacement and whether you might be a good candidate.
If you’re missing a row of teeth, the traditional replacement technique is dentures, which are rows of prosthetic teeth that adhere, click in, or suction to your empty gums. These replacement teeth certainly work well, but they aren’t without drawbacks, such as:
The All-on-X system eliminates these hurdles for a more sustainable, comfortable, and functional solution. This is because All-on-X relies on dental implants to secure the prosthetic teeth.
If you’re not familiar with dental implants, these replacement teeth are the closest we can get to your natural teeth because we insert a metal post into your jawbone to act as a new root system. This new root anchors your replacement tooth or teeth firmly into your jaw.
When we replace rows of teeth with All-on-X, we strategically place 4-6 implants along the upper or lower jawbone to support a new line of prosthetics.
As a result of All-on-X, you get new teeth that are stable, that don’t require removal, and that can prevent bone loss in your jaw. Implants also go the distance, as your jaw grows bone around the metal post to fuse it into place, which provides you with permanent and stable anchor teeth.
Now let’s get into who makes a good candidate for the innovative All-on-X system, which includes:
For All-on-X to work well, your anchor implants must be firmly in place, which requires good bone support.
When you lose teeth, the bone in your jaw disappears very quickly because your body ceases to remodel the hard tissues. In fact, studies show that people lose about two-thirds of the hard and soft tissues around the lost tooth in the first three months.
If you don’t have enough bone to support dental implants, we still have options. Many of our patients first undergo bone grafting to augment the bone in the jaw so it can support implants.
When we replace teeth with the All-on-X system, we want your body to respond quickly and grow bone around the new implants. For this to happen, you must be in good health.
For example, diabetes places you at more risk for gum disease, so you must manage diabetes well. Or if you smoke, you should quit before getting replacement teeth because smoking can greatly slow the healing process.
If you have dentures and you’re finding them too difficult to work with, All-on-X is an excellent step up.
The best way to determine whether you’re a good candidate for our innovative All-on-X system is to sit down with Dr. Wilcox for a comprehensive evaluation. To get that ball rolling, please contact our office in Butte, Montana, today to request an appointment.
