In many circumstances all of the upper or lower remaining teeth need to be removed due to advanced periodontal disease and/or dental decay. One approach is a full upper or lower plate; however, this treatment modality is not recommended. The treatment of choice is to replace the upper or lower teeth with caps that are in place permanently and supported by dental implants. A common goal of treatment is to have (twelve teeth-caps) supported by eight implants. The four caps that are not supported by the implants are connected to adjacent implant supported caps. With this optimal approach, the maximum amount of bone is preserved.
