Are you missing the teeth in your upper or lower dental arch? You may be a candidate for All-on-4® dental implants, sometimes called Teeth-in-a-Day. This procedure provides you with immediate implants and a complete smile in one appointment.
What are All-on-4 Dental Implants?
All-on-4 dental implants offer a more cost-effective solution to people who might not otherwise be candidates for implant-supported dentures. The technique offers a faster procedure and healing time.
Implant-supported dentures are usually anchored by six or eight dental implants, but for patients who have experienced some bone loss, that is not always possible. Sometimes expensive and time-consuming bone grafting may be required. The all-on-4 technique uses just four implants, sometimes six, to support an entire arch of dentures. By placing the implants at angles, it increases the resistance of the implants to displacement and avoids the need for bone grafting.
Implant-supported dentures are recommended because they eliminate many of the problems people encounter with regular dentures. With this solution, the dentures are anchored by the implants, so they don’t slip at embarrassing moments and speech enunciation and chewing efficiency are also enhanced.
As you can see in the drawing above, the All-on-4 treatment concept is solution that provides patients with a fixed full-arch prosthesis on the day of surgery. The treatment’s characteristics include full arch rehabilitation with only four implants. The two front implants are vertical, while the posterior implants are tilted toward the back of the mouth by up to 45 degrees. This provides immediate function with a fixed provisional bridge for patients who meet the criteria for immediate loading of the implants. And bone grafting is avoided by tilting the posterior implants, thus utilizing the available bone.
Preventing Bone Loss
But the most important reason to investigate implant-supported dentures is that they prevent bone loss. When we lose a tooth, the body begins to absorb the bone minerals in the jaw that supported it. And when we lose all our teeth, this bone loss can, in just ten or twenty years, lead to facial collapse, a condition that causes a shrunken appearance in the face.
More than that, it can leave us with so little bone structure that it becomes impossible to support a denture. When this happens, people are unable to eat anything but soft foods, and this can lead to more serious health consequences.
The Benefits the All-on-4 Treatment
Patient convenience is the first benefit. The new replacement teeth can be attached to the four-implant base in the same appointment, allowing patients to avoid the delay that accompanies many other tooth replacement procedures. Patients can start enjoying the benefits of their new arch of teeth right away.
Increased function is an even nicer benefit. The All-on-4 treatment concept allows the denture to be attached to the implants with screws, ensuring that the replacement teeth are secure and supported. And finally, the All-on-4 treatment prevents bone loss because the body responds to the insertion of implants by supporting the implants with bone, just as if they were teeth.
Are You a Candidate?
You may be surprised. Many patients who are unable to receive traditional replacement options, such as a fixed bridge or more implants are candidates for this treatment. If you are on the verge of losing or have already lost an entire arch of teeth, or wear complete dentures, you may be a candidate.
Learn more about the role of dental implants in alleviating the problems with dentures. Click here to read our Implant-Supported Dentures page.
Our doctors will work with you to find the best treatment plan for your particular situation. Give us a call or request an appointment online, and we’ll be happy to schedule you for an examination.
