Your Treatment Plan

 Once the Dentist has assessed your health, x-rays and clinical situation, you will be given a treatment plan, which outlines all the treatment stages as well as the costs involved. All of this is covered under your initial consultation fee. There are no hidden costs or extras. At Coolum Beach Dental we pride ourselves on having affordable and transparent treatment costs outlined in writing for our patients to consider. We listen to our patients, ensure they fully understand every option available and help them to make a decision that is right for them. No treatment will proceed until all these steps have been fulfilled.

Pre-operative Procedures

Mock-up and Pre-operative Work-up

Should you decide to proceed with the oral rehabilitation involving any of “all on 4/5/6 “ treatments, you will need to attend the clinic for photos, models and other recordings as required. The reason so much information is gathered is to enable the dentist to plan the optimal way in which to create a solution that is pleasing in appearance and superior in function.

Appointment Duration: 30-60 minutes. Costs included in your overall treatment plan.

Reshaping of the Jawbone and Gum Surgery

When teeth are lost the gums begins to shrink; this is due to the underlying bone undergoing natural atrophy and resorbs. Dental problems such as prior infections, gum disease, trauma or other degrading conditions of the teeth may lead to the need to have the affected teeth removed, or sometimes they may just fall out. In positions where teeth are missing; it commonly causes the related jawbone to have defects and often created an uneven surface on the jawbone.

Sometimes your dentist may recommend the re-shaping of the jawbone with a procedure called alveolectomy, or alveoplasty, removes the rugged areas of the jawbone to leave a flatter surface and more favorable surroundings for dental implants. By removing the rugged areas, we also eliminate the parts of the jaw that are most susceptible to reabsorption. This enables the Dentist to place the dental implant into the deeper (healthier) bone which results in a more stable outcome; the overall health and quality of the implant placement is superior for long term success.

Apart from improving the conditions for the placement of the fixtures, the re-shaping of the bone also improves the amount of space that is available for the construction of the teeth, which improves our ability to design a restoration that is more durable and aesthetically perfect. The additional space also helps ensure that the transition between the prosthesis and natural gums remains hidden. The re-contouring of the jawbone also creates a flat interface of the prosthesis to sit against the natural gums. Having a smooth unified surface make the area much easier for the patient to keep clean and maintain good dental hygiene.

Same Day Tooth Placement / Teeth in a Day

At Coolum Beach Dental, we have a Dental Technician on-site during the day of surgery; this allows us to take immediate impressions on the day, and have the Technician create your new smile immediately.

The Technician will use all the information gathered prior to the surgery to create your perfect smile. You will have already seen an example of the exceptional work undertaken by the technician because we use the same technician who created your “wax-up” model from your earlier appointment. This ensures your technician personally knows and understands every detail of your unique case!

Our fully guided implant placement information is also given to the technician, so that he can plan the final prosthesis before the surgery even begins.

You will be able to have an immediate try of of your new smile approximately 1 hour after the completion of your implant placement. This allows the Dentist to check for correct bite and for you both to make any final improvements to your new smile.

Final Bridge Placement

A final acrylic, metal reinforced bridge is placed onto your new implants, this occurs approximately 3 hours after your surgery is completed.

This is a full day treatment, and will not have to comeback subsequent days for more visits and try in appointments. Your smile is absolutely complete and you will have your new smile immediately, it is truly amazing!

After Your Surgery

Hygiene and Diet

In the immediate period after your surgery you can expect to have swelling, bruising and maybe some pain or discomfort. Your Dentist will prescribe you medication, but it is not uncommon for patients not to feel the need to take the pain medication. As the teeth are not removable, brushing and cleaning follows the same principles as if they were your own healthy natural teeth, just a standard toothbrush twice a day.

Whilst it is common for patients to describe their teeth as feeling instantly solid and fully functional, it is important to stay on a softer diet (fish, pasta, eggs, stir-fry, etc.) for the initial 3 months of healing so as not to disturb the biological process of osseo-integration.

At 3 weeks after your surgery, once the swelling had subsided, and you have become more accustomed to your new teeth, a member of Coolum Beach Dental will show you simple additional methods to effectively clean your new replacement teeth. These include water flosser, bridge floss, and brushes with specialised tips.

Review, Adjustments and Maintenance

Four months after your surgery your dentist will see you for review to verify that the implants have integrated and to fine tune your teeth as required. At this time it is also possible to remove the bridge to re-line its surface, or to make adjustments that require processing in the laboratory. Should your work require processing in the laboratory, we will aim to have ypur new smile back in place within a few hours. This review and any laboratory adjustments are part of the package and an extension of our service to you.

Once we confirm that the implants have integrated, at the 4 months review, you can start eating all types of food, even biting apples, nuts, crusty breads, chocolate and steak. Future maintenance is often uncomplicated and involves regular attendance for scale and cleans, as with natural teeth, x-rays every 2 years, and may at times require certain repairs. All repairs to your bridge are included for a period of 2 years.

Indication-Specific Restorative Upgrades (When Required)

The replacement teeth that are fitted immediately on the day of the surgery are designed with the final aesthetics and function, and as the permanent restoration. However in certain cases the improvements in the forces of the bite may be beyond the tolerance of the material used to make the immediate bridge. However, when that is the case, before deciding on any course of action, it is important to diagnose the weak areas of the bridge and the direction of the forces so as to have a better understanding of what type of treatment or restorative upgrades would be required for longer term function.

Your Immediate Teeth with High Impact Acrylic

The teeth that are fitted immediately after surgery are constructed from a highly aesthetic and resilient acrylic material. The processing of this material makes it conducive to an immediate turnaround, and this is the only choice for immediate teeth. The bridge is reinforced internally with metal bar support, and is designed as the permanent restoration with optimal aesthetics and function, but this does not mean it will last a lifetime. Over time some wear occurs and this varies from patient to patient. On average, the acrylic teeth require replacement every 3-5 years.

This timeframe is only a guideline and it is not unusual for our patients to have worn their original restorations for 7 years or longer without requiring replacement. Replacing the acrylic bridge does not mean re-doing the entire All On 4 treatment from the start. The process of replacing the teeth is uncomplicated and does not require any additional surgery. However, the acrylic material, whilst intended as the permanent bridge, has a finite physical tolerance, and in certain patients, such as heavy grinders or those in whom the improvement to their biting force is beyond the tolerances of the acrylic material resulting is excessive wear or signs of stress, an upgrade to a stronger material such as Zirconia may be required at an earlier time, or at some time in the future.

Coolum beach Dental Protocol, strongly advises that the acrylic bridge, is replaced with a milled titanium bridge, with acrylic teeth not later than 2 years after original implant placement. Zirconia bridge options are also available.

When its time to replace the original acrylic bridge, there are a number of options that can be considered. The frame or body of the new bridge construction can be either titanium or zirconia, and the teeth can be either acrylic or porcelain. However, whenever acrylic teeth are fitted, there is still the issue of wear and ageing over time. This however is a cheaper option and easily repaired. If a zirconia bridge fractures, then the entire bridge will need replacement. Most of our patients prefer the hybrid bridge (titanium base and acrylic teeth) due to these risks.