Who this is for
- You are losing most or all teeth in one jaw and do not want months in a removable denture while the implants heal.
- You were offered “teeth in a day” elsewhere and want to know what is done that day, what is temporary and what comes later.
- You want a second opinion on which teeth to keep, how many implants you need, and whether a graft, a removable option or a slower plan suits you.
What we do at our office
Three terms get mixed up: immediate placement (an implant goes into the socket the day the tooth comes out), immediate loading (temporary teeth fixed to the implants at once) and the final bridge (made separately after healing). One can happen without the others, and Dr. Tetri tells you which your jaw supports.
Dr. Baruch Tetri, DDS, is a periodontist. He earned his DDS at NYU College of Dentistry in 2006, completed his Certificate in Periodontics in 2009, and is a Diplomate of the American Board of Periodontology. He does the surgery in our Sunny Isles Beach office, and the temporary bridge is made in our in-house laboratory.
Candidacy is about more than bone: diabetes control, smoking, medicines, gum disease, cleaning and follow-up all count. Each remaining tooth gets its own prognosis first; removing them all is a conclusion, not a starting point. Full-arch surgery (all the teeth in one jaw) is long, so IV sedation is available after a medical review, where our permits and team allow.
One rule governs the day: if the implants are not stable enough, we fit a removable temporary instead and tell you why. That is the safer plan, not a failed one, and it is in your consent before surgery.
What happens at the visit
- Consultation. Examination, a CBCT scan (a three-dimensional dental X-ray), photographs, a digital scan of your teeth, and your health and medicines reviewed.
- Design and plan. The teeth are designed before the implants (position, lip support, speech, access for cleaning) and you approve the design; the written plan covers the immediate path, the fallback, the number of implants, timing and the front desk’s estimate.
- Surgery day. Teeth are removed where needed, the implants are placed and their stability is measured; if it is adequate, the temporary bridge is fitted the same day. Plan for a full day.
- Healing, three to six months. Soft food only; the temporary bridge must not be loaded with hard or chewy food. Review visits check the bridge, the gums and your cleaning.
- The final bridge, then maintenance. New digital impressions, your choice of material, and a bridge we can remove for cleaning and checks.
Risks and limits
- Pain, swelling, bruising and bleeding for several days; infection is uncommon, and numbness of the lip or chin after lower-jaw surgery is rare and usually wears off.
- An implant can fail to bond, more often in smokers, with uncontrolled diabetes or an overloaded temporary bridge; it is usually replaced after healing, and the bridge may be removable meanwhile.
- The temporary bridge is usually acrylic; it can chip or crack and is repaired.
- The final bridge needs maintenance for life: screws loosen, teeth wear, parts are replaced; budget for it.
- Not everyone leaves with fixed teeth on the day. What you can count on is a straight account of what we found on the day and a fallback agreed before surgery.
Questions patients ask
Can I eat on the temporary teeth?
Soft food for the healing period; the implants are bonding to the bone and must not be loaded. You chew on the final bridge.
What if the bone is not good enough on the day?
A removable temporary, sometimes a graft, and the fixed bridge once the site has healed; you are told on the day.
Sources
Request a visit
Dr. Tetri sees you at our Sunny Isles Beach office, 16690 Collins Avenue, Suite 701, Sunny Isles Beach, FL 33160.