A dental implant is basically a small titanium screw that is inserted into the jawbone in the place left by a missing tooth. Once after the implant is placed in the mouth, the professional or the dentist will attach a new fake tooth to the screw. The All on 4 dental implants is one of a type of treatment for placing a missing tooth.
The word All on 4 refers to “all” teeth being supported on four dental implants which is a surgical and technique prosthodontics procedure for total rehabilitation of the edentulous patient or for the patients with decayed teeth, badly broken teeth or compromised teeth due to gum diseases. It actually consists of the rehabilitation of either dentate or edentulous maxilla with fixed prosthesis by placing implants in the anterior maxilla where the bone density is supposed to be higher. Those four implants give support to a fixed prosthesis with 14 to 10 teeth and is placed immediately, approximately within 24 hours of surgery.
The company Noble Biocare, an implant manufacturer actually was among the first to identify the invention of the All on 4 techniques as a cost effective and potentially valid alternative to the old and conventional implant techniques.
All in 4 is rather a treatment technique and not an invention which has evolved over time and has these following features-
- The use of angulated implants in the back to overcome anatomical structures and bone deficiencies
- Immediate loading
- The use of four dental implants to support a full fixed bridge
The All on 4 dental procedures
First the dentist will make sure that the patient is comfortable or not therefore a local or a general anesthesia will be given
Second, the dentist will prepare the patient’s mouth for the implants which are going to involve removing their remaining teeth that are failing. Then the removal of any infected or diseased tissue from the jaw and gums will be done.
But most likely they will place two implants towards the back of the mouth or towards the front of the mouth so that the anchors can evenly bare the force of the denture.
After the implantation procedures have been placed, they will thoroughly clean up the site where the surgery has been done. Then the patient will be taken to the recovery room where they can relax and take up some time to wake up from the anesthesia.
Recovery time
The recovery time after getting the surgery can be from 3 to 8 months but after getting an All on 4 denture implants, one should be functioning sooner.
Basis | Traditional implants | All on 4 implants |
Longevity | 10-15 years | More than 10 years |
Placement | Attached to 8-10 impla-nts of titanium in the jaw bone | Attached to 4-6 implan-ts of titanium in the jaw bone |
Bone loss | Helps in maintaining the bone | Helps in maintaining the bone |
Cost | Expensive | Cost effective |
Appearance | Looks like normal teeth with no artificial gums | Looks likenatural teeth as the gum join stays hidden behind the lips |
Cleaning | Like normal teeth | Like normal teeth |
Eligibility | May require a bone graft | Usually for individuals with bone loss |
Benefits
Many individuals have regained comfort and confidence by replacing missing teeth with All on 4 dental implants. This procedure has become preferable and popular with patients over the years because it can replace an entire mouth of teeth with just four dental implants and just only one surgery.
With the treatment, All on 4 dental implants it is possible to replace all of the teeth in just one cost-effective treatment.
Some of the benefits include-
- The treatment involves only one surgery
- The treatment is cost effective than other treatment alternatives which make it easier to replace teeth with affordable All on 4 implants
- It restores a full entire smile with only four implants
- No bone grafting is not usually required in this treatment
- It restores a secure placement deep in the jawbone so that the implants will not shift or loosen.
Drawback
All on 4 dental implants have successfully worked for many individuals but they may not be best for everyone. Some dentist dissuade their patients from choosing this treatment for the following reasons-
- The treatment demands a high level of bone to hold the implants in its place
- When the teeth are all placed on the same day, the patients will not be able to test the teeth for their appearances, bite or comfort.
- This treatment cannot be placed in the molar areas of the mouth where the bite of an individual is the greatest.
It is important for the patient to understand both sides of this All on 4 dental implant treatment option, yet only their dentist can tell if the treatment is the ideal way for the individual to replace the missing tooth.