Our doctors enthusiasm for this life-changing area of dentistry has taken them on an intensive implant journey. We have a passion for restoring patients smiles with implants and dentures and continuously honing our skills and staying up to date with implant education in order to offer patients the very best treatments available.
Dr. Mencini is originally from Cleveland, Ohio, but proud to call Phoenix home. She first fell in love with Phoenix while attending Midwestern University College of Dental Medicine in Glendale. Dr. Mencini moved back to the Midwest after graduating with her doctorate to practice in Chicago and is very happy to be back in the Phoenix heat!
Dr. Mencini found her passion for restoring patients smiles with implants and dentures early on in her careershe spent many weekends in school volunteering at implant centers and has committed herself to continuously honing her skills and staying up to date with implant education in order to offer patients the very best treatments available. When not at the office, Dr. Mencini enjoys spending time at home with her fianc, Tony, and their two dogs, Teddy and Pickles, hiking, and traveling.
Originally hailing from Macon, Georgia, Dr. Tolbert is proud to bring his southern charm to the Valley! Dr. Tolbert graduated from the Dental College of Georgia, where he spent most of his time researching dental implants and dentures. He spent every vacation and school break attending advanced education courses and working alongside implant dentists to help him hit the ground running. Today, he is living out his dream working with Valley Dentures and Implants!
Dr. Tolbert decided early on in his career that his passion was for restoring peoples smiles. I do this because the average patient that walks through our doors is asking to have their life changed. It is challenging work, but it is by far the most rewarding.
My name is Ashley Abril, and I am so excited to be part of the team at Valley Dentures and Implants. I began my career in dentistry as a Dental Assistant, 10 years ago. My desire to help patients and also to help my colleagues led me to move to the front office area and expand my knowledge. I became interested in everything that happened behind the scenes and in all aspects of a dental practice.
Yes! However, while your implants and teeth are securely placed from day one, we do ask that you maintain a soft diet during the 4 month healing period. What exactly does that mean? A good general rule is you can eat anything you can cut with a plastic fork. The reason for this is that you are investing in something that could last you many decades, even the rest of your life, and maintaining a softer diet during the healing period will allow the best integration of your implants into your bone and help ensure the best long-term outcome.
This life-changing procedure was pioneered by Portuguese dentist Paolo Malo in the 1990s. Since then, this procedure has safely been performed on hundreds of thousands of patients and has been improved upon to what you see today.
Caring for your teeth is very easy, but consistency is key. Just like were supposed to brush and floss natural teeth, we should do the same with our All-On-4 teeth and implants. A few minutes a day is all it will take to keep your mouth and implants healthy. Brushing your bridges with a soft bristle tooth brush and cleaning under them with a water flosser (WaterPik is a very popular, well-known brand) a few times a day is all it takes.
Smoking can increase the risk of implant complications, so we recommend not smoking with dental implants. Diabetics should also be aware of an increased risk for complication with dental implants. Controlling your diabetes is very important for the long-term success of your implants.
This will vary from patient to patient, but, overall, the recovery period is shorter and easier with this procedure compared to other full arch or full mouth replacement options. This is mainly thanks to the bridges being attached directly to your jaws via your implants. Traditional dentures and implant dentures both require healing periods during which time the dentures are able to move and cause sore spots. Your pain should subside for the most part within 1-2 weeks, with complete healing typically after 6 months.
At Valley Dentures and Implants, we have the same advantages of the corporate implant centers by limiting our practice to dental implants and prosthetics. We have an in-house lab, competitive pricing, and same day teeth. However, we are privately owned, and every patient will be seen by our doctor. We focus on the satisfaction of our patients instead of monthly quotas, cost cutting, and shareholders. At the corporate implant centers, there is no guarantee that you will be treated by the same dentist that has the great reviews or your friend recommended you see. Our doctor oversees your procedure from beginning to end and the team at Valley Dentures and Implants will do everything to make sure you are happy with your smile and take care of you like family.
Mini dental implants are not even related to what we do at Valley Dentures and Implants for our All-On-4 teeth in a day procedure. Please proceed with caution at any office recommending mini dental implants as a permanent solution. They have a very high failure/complication rate.
We limit our practice to dental implants and prosthetics. Dental implants and specifically teeth in a day is our passion, and we are constantly working to ensure our patients get the best results possible. Many offices will refer you to multiple providers, use outside labs, and have confusing pricing. They will take many months or even years to complete your procedure while charging you 50-100% more. Our doctor performs the procedure from surgery to final teeth, we have an in house lab and lab technician, and transparent, affordable pricing. By having all this under one roof, we are able to deliver the best service at the best price.
This is completely normal when you first have a prosthesis placed in your mouth. Your body senses it as a foreign object and is trying to flush it out. This increased salivation should subside within 2-3 days.
We do not currently put patients to sleep, however, we do offer oral conscious sedation. This medication will help to relax you and often makes it so you dont even remember your procedure. For this, we write you a prescription, and you can pick it up at your pharmacy of choice. NOTE: You MUST have a driver for this procedure, someone who can drive you after you have taken your oral sedation pill(s). You MUST NOT operate a motor vehicle or any machinery after taking your medication.
Most cases will be attached immediately. In certain situation, mostly dependent on your bone quality and quantity, we will not be able to attach your bridge(s) the same day and you will need to wear a temporary healing denture while your implants integrate into the bone. Your doctor go over this in-depth at your evaluation.
Significant bleeding will have stopped before you leave the clinic, however, expect to have some slight bleeding (oozing) for 1-3 days after the procedure. In addition, you will most likely notice increased salivation when we first put your temporary teeth in. When this increased saliva mixes with a little blood, it can look like a lot of blood. If heavy bleeding continues, please call the office.
Just as you would need practice in order to get used to functioning with a prosthetic leg, it will require some practice and patience to get used to your prosthetic teeth. With that being said, since they are rigidly anchored to your jaw, All-On-4 teeth will be the easiest to get used to of all the full-arch replacement options.
Again, this will take a little time, but with some patience and practice, your mouth and tongue will quickly adjust. Ss will be the toughest to pronounce. Practicing words like Mississippi and sixty six will help you get used to your new teeth. In some cases, patients may have a slight lisp long term with All-On-4 upper teeth.
No, this is not just a procedure for the elderly. Its actually quite common for people in their 40s, 30, even 20s to need to replace their teeth. Replacing bad teeth can be hugely beneficial to your overall physical health, and being able to smile, laugh, and converse confidently with teeth youre proud of can be hugely beneficial to your emotional health. Again, needing to replace teeth early in life is not uncommon at all.
What is unique about this procedure, and what allows us to attach to your implants from day one, is that all of your implants will be rigidly splinted together by your new teeth (the implant bridge). Splinting them together prevents the micro-movement of the implants that can lead to failure early on. Basically, your implants and bridge all support each other.
Yes! This is our preferred way of doing this procedure with the best outcome. With the advanced implants and materials that we have available today, there is usually no reason to have to wait months or even years to go through the process like you had to do in the past.
No, our doctor is a general dentist that limits their practice to dental implantology and prosthetics. Dental implantology is their passion, and they have placed more dental implants than most specialists and other general dentists. In a very select cases, they will collaborate with other dental specialists to ensure that their patients get the best possible treatment for their specific situation.
Because of the high number of these procedures we perform and limiting our practice to very specific procedures, we have advantages that other offices do not have. We have our in-house lab and lab technician and a single dentist that performs the entire procedure. Because of the efficiencies, we are able to offer these procedures for our patients at the most competitive pricing. Not only do we have the best prices, we also use the best quality implants and zirconia teeth.
If a dental implant fails to integrate we will replace it at no cost. We warranty the final bridge for 5 years. To keep this warranty, our patients must return every 6 months for maintenance and hygiene of their bridges/implants. The warranty does not apply to patients that continue to smoke or have uncontrolled diabetes or develop other uncontrolled systemic conditions that compromise their implants.
Usually the surgery takes about 1 hour per arch. Then, the lab portion of making the teeth takes about 2 hours. If we start in the morning, for a single upper or lower arch patients are usually done around lunch time. If we are replacing both top and bottom teeth, we usually finish around 2:30 to 3:30 in the afternoon. Most of this time is waiting for the teeth to be made in our lab and trying them in to ensure your smile is just right. It is a long day, but will definitely be worth it in the end!
We do everything possible to ensure you love your new smile. The teeth you get the same day of surgery are only a temporary/transitional set. When we fabricate your final teeth, you will have full control of the design and appearance of your teeth.
While this is a good service for many patients, in the rare case of complications or teeth breaking, it is very difficult to deal with if you traveled thousands of miles away or even out of the country. Most local offices will not be willing to fix these out of town offices work. A major advantage of having a transitional set of fixed teeth on the day of your surgery is you get to test them out and see what you like/dont like. For the final zirconia or nano-ceramic teeth we can do try-ins to ensure that your teeth look exactly like you want them to look. While its great to get your final teeth immediately, it does come with some serious downsides that cannot be overlooked.
It is referred to as teeth in a day because you are receiving a set of implant-supported functional prosthetic temporary teeth in one day. Since there are often major changes in your mouth during the healing and implant integration phase, it is best to start with a temporary set up teeth. This ensures the best long-term outcome with your permanent teeth.
Yes, your temporary teeth are made of acrylic and can chip, crack, and occasionally break. This is very common. The great thing about the acrylic temporary is that it can easily be repaired. If you have any issues with your temporary, just give us a call and well get you fixed up right away.
Unfortunately, not. Since your existing implants will not be the correct position that this procedure requires, and since bone reduction will need to be performed, we can not use your existing implants and they will most likely need to be removed.
Yes, any prosthetic in the mouth will get some amount of food under it. You can rinse with water to get food out from under your bridge(s), and cleaning every day with a water flosser will be part of your long-term hygiene regimen.
Of all full arch replacement options, All-On-4 tends to have the shortest time required before returning to work. Generally 4-7 days is sufficient. With that said, since there is always the chance of bruising and swelling, and youll need to get used to eating and speaking with your new teeth, the longer you can take off, the better.