When it comes to choosing replacements for your teeth, you can't go wrong with dental implants. Dental implants provide the longest-lasting tooth replacement possible, with many of the same benefits of real teeth, like stimulating bone growth and keeping gums healthy. However, if you're missing multiple teeth in a row, you'll have to decide between standard, individual dental implants or full arch implants. Here are some of the advantages of full arch implants that might be worthwhile to you.

Shorter Procedure

Having dental implants put in place doesn't take too long, but if you need a full row of them, it will take a while with standard implants. Each implant's post needs to be put in place under your gums, which means your gums will be surgically opened, the post inserted, and then closed up back around them again. If you have multiple teeth that need replacing, this process can take a while to get all the posts put in place.

With full arch implants, only a few dental implant posts are used. They support the entire set of dental implants, rather than each one individually, which means you'll only need a few inserted. This will save time in the initial procedure of getting the posts.

Less Downtime

Once your posts are in place, you'll need time to heal. The healing process from getting dental implants put in doesn't take very long and it's typically not uncomfortable as long as you take your pain medications given to you by the dentist. However, it can take a while to heal from several incisions and multiple post insertions in a row.

Since full arch implants use fewer posts, it won't take you nearly as long to recover. You'll be back to eating and feeling normally in no time, and you won't experience as much discomfort, if any.

All-in-One Installation

Finally, when it comes time to get your crowns put on, you once again save time and energy by going with the full arch. A full arch implant is put in place in one piece, with the few posts you received acting as anchors. In comparison, individual implants need a crown for every single post. This takes a fair amount of time at the dentist's office, so you may need to plan on not doing anything for the rest of the day or take a day off from work to get a series of individual implant crowns put on.

Ultimately, the choice of individual versus full arch implants is up to you. Both will last you for a very long time and provide you with the improvement to your smile that you've been looking for. Talk to a dentist in your area, such as Laguna Hills Prosthodontics, if you have further questions and need advice on choosing the right implant for your mouth.