In addition, implants may be used to replace several teeth. This type of replacement requires more than one implant. Total Edentulism Patients which are totally edentulous, or missing all natural teeth have more unique options available to them. Most patients that suffer from total edentulism choose the conventional treatment of dentures. In addition to the alteration in facial apperance, the nerve in the jawbone becomes more and more exposed as erosion continues, resulting in unnecessary pain and suffering.
Dental implants provide several solutions to the problem of total edentulism.
The first of which being a means of attaching a denture to several implants by means of snapping onto a bar or ball attachments. While this method does restore a great deal more chewing efficiency than conventional dentures, it does not restore total efficiency. A more thorough method of restoring chewing efficiency is to place at least five implants in order to support a full-arch bridge. The lower lip covers the junction of the fixed bridge and implants.