Hello! This is Dr. Thomas at Integrity Dental; we are glad you are joining us today. We are having a little discussion about what are Same Day Teeth or Teeth in a Day!
What are Teeth in a Day?
Same day teeth or Teeth in a Day can be talking about 3 different things. We do crowns here same day. We have the machinery here to make a crown, so if you come in to have a crown or multiple crowns done, we can do them all in one day to ensure you leave with a permanent crown. That’s a little different than many offices, although some other offices do have that technology to do that. It’s extremely convenient as opposed to having a temporary and having part of the work done one day and then receiving the temporary crown and having to come back to have the permanent crown cemented at a later date.
Another reference for Same day teeth is having dentures done in the same day, which is also sometimes called Immediate Dentures. This is where we make impressions before the patient comes in for the procedure and on the day of the work we numb the patient, remove any bad teeth that are left, and we send the patient home with immediate dentures or same day teeth, ensuring the patient is never without teeth.
You can do something similar to that which is same day implants with permanent dentures, which can also be called All on Fours or Implant Teeth. Same day teeth can also be referring to this process where we take out teeth and then you have permanently cemented or screw retained dentures that go in and those don’t come out of the mouth; they are like real teeth. They are different from dentures in that dentures should be removed on a daily basis.
When is someone a good candidate for Teeth in a Day?
That goes to what we are talking about, but anyone is a good candidate if you need a crown, you can make it a same down crown and there is really no difference between an traditional crown with a lab, we are just able to do it faster than the average office because of some of the technology that we have invested in. To do Same day teeth for dentures is pretty much our standard anymore. We do that in most cases because the alternative is to take all the teeth out and let the patient heal for about six months, and then make impressions, and then make them dentures. That takes a much longer period of time when the patient has no teeth. Most people do not want to do that. So, because we have the ability and the technology to do same day dentures, we will typically do that. So again, if you are a candidate for dentures, you are most likely a candidate for Same day teeth dentures.
Now, if we are doing a full arch of permanent dentures and you need implants, that is where you do need to be a good candidate. That means healthy bone, plenty of bone to work with, not a lot of bad health issues like recently having a stroke, heart attack, or a recent joint replacement, as well as a history of osteoporosis. People in those positions should wait until they are in a healthier situation. But if you have a relatively small list of medications, you don’t have osteoporosis (some people will still be good candidates even with osteoporosis depending on what medications they are taking) you will likely still be a good candidate for Teeth in a Day of all three types.
When is someone not a good candidate for Teeth in a Day?
If you have recently had some major health problems such as a stroke, heart attack, recent cancer, osteoporosis, or a joint replacement, you may not be a great candidate for Teeth in a Day. However, this can be a temporary state. If you get healthier down the road, you will likely be a good candidate for Teeth in a Day, but we will just practice extra caution. During your initial appointment, the main thing we would be evaluating is what kind of bone quality you have, as far as how much you have. Some people lose a lot of bone. You can lose it from both the top and bottom jaw. If you have lost so much bone that you are not likely to be able to get implants, you will not be a candidate for immediate permanent dentures. But that is relatively rare.
What are the pros and cons of Teeth in a Day?
Most Teeth in a Day procedures only have pros! If it is a crown that is done on the same day, there are really no drawbacks to having it completed all at once as opposed to getting a temporary crown until the permanent one is completed at a later date. For immediate removable dentures the con is that it may be slightly more expensive because we either have to reline those dentures down the road or make new dentures. Also, the dentures can cause a little more pain because they are being put on immediately after the removal of other teeth. The cons for immediate permanent dentures retained by implants are a little bit more. You are running more risks. If those implants do not heal appropriately and you’ve attached this permanent denture to those implants, that could involve more surgery down the road where you have to take out the implant and replace it. It might also involve remaking the permanent denture that goes on top of those implants as well. That is not common, but it does happen some. The traditional way of doing it is to put implants in and let those heal for about 3-6 months and then start the process of making a permanent denture. That process is a little more predictable, and less likely to have an infection or rejection.
What is involved in the process of getting Teeth in a Day?
For same day crown, you will know nothing is different. You will come in and we will handle all of the behind-the-scenes stuff. It is really no different that if you were to go to any other office that does them traditionally besides the fact that you will go home with a permanent crown rather than a temporary crown. For Same day Teeth that we are doing removable dentures for, you do need some preparation work, as well as with permanent immediate dentures. We will make impressions ahead of time and make the dentures ahead of time so that we have those ready to go for the day or surgery. For Teeth in a Day using implants, we will also take three dimensional x-rays and additional pictures, as well as a lot of preliminary work on the dentist’s part to prepare, and that requires a couple of appointments before the surgery to make sure that we have everything that we need.
Is the Teeth in a Day procedure painful?
If it’s a same day crown, no. It won’t be any different than a regular crown. If the procedure is for immediate removable dentures, it’s not going to be comfortable. We will be putting dentures over open sores where we have removed teeth. So, there is some pain that goes along with that procedure. I would say that there is less pain when you use implants for an immediate permanent denture. But if you are removing teeth along with the denture being placed on the implants, there will inevitably be some amount of pain.
What anesthesia options are available for the Teeth in a Day procedures?
The traditional options (numbing with injections) always are available. We also have several sedation options like taking a pill like Valium or Halcion (oral sedation), laughing gas/Nitrous Oxide which you can still drive to and from your appointment with, IV sedation, or we even can get an anesthesiologist or nurse anesthetist to do full on sedation where the patient is asleep and when they wake up the work is done!
How long does it typically take to heal from getting Teeth in a Day?
It all depends! If we are talking about same day crowns, no longer than with a traditional crown. The tooth may be sore for a couple of weeks, but it heals pretty quickly, and sometimes people notice very little change at all. For removable dentures that is a 6 month long healing process before we can do the reline or remake the denture. If it is an immediate permanent denture, your healing time is going to be more like a month or two of discomfort. The gums and bone always take about 5-6 months to really get to the point where we say you are stable and done healing, but you really won’t be able to notice it after a month or two.
Are Teeth in a Day permanent?
You have two options; you can do immediate removable dentures or immediate permanent dentures. Immediate removable dentures are not permanent in that they do not come out, but they will be long-lasting enough to be used for most of the rest of your life if maintained properly. If you are doing immediate permanent dentures placed on implants, they are very permanent from the day you take them home.
How long will Teeth in a Day last and will I need to have them replaced?
Typically, if they are immediate dentures, the average denture wearer will replace their dentures about every 10-15 years. I have had patients who use them a lot longer than that and that is great, but for the average patient, every 10-15 years. For immediate permanent dentures, those typically last longer, I would say 20-25 years. Often, they can last even longer than that. However, they can chip over time or may not look quite as nice over time so some people will opt to have them revitalized or replaced at around the 20–25-year mark. But I have also seen some that have lasted 40-50 years!
Are there any special instructions for caring for Teeth in a Day?
Yes, especially if they are permanent dentures which are screwed into implants. For those, you will need a water flosser with some special attachments that can get up underneath the denture. We also have special toothpick style toothbrushes that you can use to get underneath the denture. Swishes and rinses and things like that are important and commonplace for people that have Teeth in a Day that are permanent. For Teeth in a Day that are removable dentures, the care is no different than for traditional dentures. And for Teeth in a Day that are crowns, there are no special instructions!
What is the cost of getting Teeth in a Day and are there financing options available?
There is a wide range for the cost, and it depends on which of the 3 types of Teeth in a Day you get. For same day crowns, your average crown is going to be around $1,200 and that can depend on if you need build ups and some other factors. We will always talk to patients and give our best estimates ahead of time so that they are aware before we start any work. For removable dentures, whether you have implants or not, it is going to be a wide range. If we are doing Teeth in a Day with removable dentures without adding implants, we are probably going to be looking around $6,00-$8,000 (for top and bottom dentures, not all people will need both top and bottom). If we are talking Teeth in a day using permanent dentures supported by implants, those are going to be around $20,000-$25,000 per arch. So, if you were to get two arches, top and bottom, that would end up being $40,000-$50,000.
And yes, we do have financing options! We are able to use CareCredit here in our office and in certain instances we can also do in-house plans. We have also had patients utilize their 401K or other creative options to pay for their treatment when that is something that they desire to do. We know that those are big chunks of money and that sometimes people need help, so we try to come up with several different options to help people with those if that is what they want.
Does insurance help with the cost of Teeth in a Day?
Yes, but every insurance has a maximum. Generally speaking (with exceptions) the maximum is around $1,500 to $3,000. If you have one of those plans, once you use up your annual maximum, they will not help cover anymore. In many cases we are able to split up treatment across different years to help maximize the use of benefits, but that is not always an option.
How can I get scheduled with a dentist to see if this is a good option for me?
We are happy to do a consultation with you anytime to discuss what options would be best for you. If you’re an existing patient that is very easy; we will just do an exam and look at what options are available for what you are wanting. If you are a new patient, we try to give a lot of options to get in to get that consultation. We know that some people may want a comparison and are shopping around and we are more than happy to do a consultation if that is the case so that we can tell you what we can do and what our office is capable of. So, if that is of interest to you, please give us a call at (719) 545-2468. We would love to discuss with you what we can do to help you with Teeth in a Day and what we can do to help you smile!