If you have lost most of your teeth on the top or the bottom — or you are heading that way — full-arch treatment is the conversation to have. As Dr. Armin Abron of DC Periodontics & Implants explains, full-arch treatment replaces all of the teeth on an upper or lower arch using dental implants, and it does not take an implant for every missing tooth: four to six implants can support an entire arch of fixed teeth. The process runs from a scan-based consultation through a single surgical appointment, a set of same-day temporary teeth for most candidates, and a final prosthesis about three months later. Here is how he walks patients through it.
You do not need an implant for every missing tooth
The first thing Dr. Abron clears up is the arithmetic. Patients often assume that replacing a full arch means placing a full arch of implants, one for one.
“It is important to understand that you don’t have to place a single implant for each missing tooth.”
With today’s technology, he explains, all of the upper or lower teeth can be replaced on four to six implants — enough to restore good function and a good cosmetic outcome. The implants act as the foundation; the new teeth are a single fixed prosthesis carried on top of them.
Who is this for? In Dr. Abron’s words, the procedure can be for anyone who has compromised teeth, is missing numerous teeth, or is simply not happy with how their teeth function.
The consultation: scans first, then planning behind the scenes
When a patient comes in missing numerous teeth on an arch, the first step is a proper consultation — and at DC Periodontics & Implants that means diagnostics on day one. Dr. Abron describes taking a digital scan and a three-dimensional x-ray at that first visit. Those diagnostic tools are what let the team determine which type of treatment suits the individual patient, rather than working from assumptions.
What happens next mostly happens out of the patient’s sight. Dr. Abron consults with restorative experts and laboratory technicians to build an individual plan, and that plan is reviewed with the patient in advance of any procedure.
“Once you sign off on the plan, we’ll make an appointment for you to come in for the actual procedure.”
Nothing moves forward until the patient has seen the plan and agreed to it.
Surgery day: a few hours, with sedation for comfort
The surgical visit is a longer appointment — it lasts a few hours. Dr. Abron notes that sedation is provided during the appointment so the patient is comfortable throughout the procedure.
During that visit, any teeth that are compromised or need to be extracted are removed. In their place, the implants go in — four of them, sometimes six — to provide a solid basis and foundation for the new prosthesis.
Same-day teeth — and why the first set is temporary
For patients whose case allows it, the new prosthesis is inserted and delivered on the same day as surgery. That matters to people who have spent years hiding their smile: you do not go home without teeth.
Dr. Abron is careful to set expectations about what those first teeth are:
“It is important to keep in mind that this prosthesis initially is a temporary prosthesis.”
Healing normally takes about three months. Once it is complete, the temporary set is replaced with a new, considerably more aesthetic and cosmetic prosthesis — the final teeth, fitted to the healed arch. The temporary set does its job during healing; the final set is built for the years after.
Who is a candidate — and the goal behind every plan
Most patients who have been missing teeth for many years, and who are living with compromised function and aesthetics, are candidates for this treatment. In Dr. Abron’s summary, treatment returns a patient to normal function and aesthetics on four to six implants, with the final prosthesis fitted after about three months of healing.
There is an honest caveat. Patients who have undergone severe bone resorption — the gradual loss of jawbone that follows years of missing teeth — may need to consider other options. But the practice’s orientation is clear:
“Our effort is going to be to avoid having you wear dentures.”
Where the standard approach is not the right fit, Dr. Abron explores the other options available to provide a fixed prosthesis rather than a removable one.
The first step
Asked what someone ready to explore full-arch treatment should do first, Dr. Abron’s answer is the same consultation he described at the start: proper diagnostics, meaning three-dimensional x-rays and digital scans. Those tools let the team review and plan the individual case — and show the patient what they can realistically expect from this treatment before anything is scheduled.
Frequently asked questions
What is full-arch treatment?
It is the replacement of all the teeth on an upper or lower arch using dental implants. Rather than one implant per missing tooth, four to six implants support a full set of fixed teeth, restoring function and aesthetics.
Do I leave the surgical appointment with teeth?
For most candidates, yes — a temporary prosthesis is inserted and delivered the same day as surgery. It is replaced with the final, more aesthetic prosthesis once healing is complete, normally about three months later.
Who is a candidate for full-arch treatment?
Most patients who have been missing teeth for many years with compromised function and aesthetics are candidates. Patients with severe bone resorption may need to consider other options — which is exactly what the consultation scans are there to determine.
What does the first appointment involve?
A consultation with diagnostics: a digital scan and a three-dimensional x-ray taken that day. The treatment plan is then built with restorative and laboratory input and reviewed with you in advance — surgery is only scheduled once you have signed off on the plan.
Talk it through with the doctors
If you are weighing your options for an arch of failing or missing teeth, the place to start is a consultation at DC Periodontics & Implants — Farragut Square or Eastern Market. You will leave with your own scans reviewed and a clear picture of what treatment would look like for you.