All on 4 Dental Implants Reviews
All On 4 Dental Implants
You may have heard about the All On 4 dental implant treatment on TV or radio, as it is becoming an increasingly popular procedure. But many dentists don’t even thoroughly understand it.
Simply put, the All On 4 procedure is a way of replacing all of your teeth (upper or lower) with only 4 implants. And so it is actually possible to have all your teeth replaced in only one day.
It is very important to make sure that you are the right person for this treatment. There are multiple steps that need to be followed for a full reconstruction of the mouth and to achieve optimal results.
Advantages of the All On 4 procedure include:
- Usually no need for a bone graft
- Fewer dental implants are spread with purposeful angulation towards the back of the mouth
- It is possible that implants will be able to placed the same day the extraction occurs
- Reasonably affordable
Disadvantages of the All On 4 procedure included:
- Just 4 implants are being used to support what normally 12-14 teeth would be doing
- Affordability is based on the implants a “fixed hybrid” which means they are fixed dentures but do break often and can be high maintenance
- No implants where a person’s bite force in normally the highest (molar areas)
Other Considerations
6 implants for the upper area and 4-5 implants for the lower area is actually a minimum number of dental implants, ideally, for stabilizing bone structure long time. And ideally all zirconia or a metal ceramic bridges should be used (as opposed to a hybrid). Size of jaw and also bite force should also be considered when determining how many implants are needed. Other considerations such as whether bone grafting or sinus bone grafting are needed/advantageous are important in determining the best procedure. Porcelain teeth need to be considered since they do not stain, break and/or chip the way plastic hybrid teeth can. It is important also to find out what materials (i.e. screws or cement) will be used in the process depending on implant angulation. Don’t forget teeth are body parts. Customization for your particular situation is recommended. If you are considering the All On 4 implants make sure this makes sense for your mouth and condition.
Dentists will often recommend the All On 4 implants to restore teeth after significant decay and/or infection, replacing teeth that are not able to be saved or after multiple root canals that have failed. People that have strong jaw bones and sufficient mass of the jaw bones who prefer the idea of fixed dentures to removable ones could consider the All On 4 implants.
All On 4 implants replace one whole arch of teeth (i.e. all of the teeth on the bottom or top of the the mouth) with prosthetic teeth that attach to only four screws. They are fixed implants, but are removable by a profession for cleaning purposes if necessary.
How long All On 4 implants might last will depend on various factors, such as the materials used to make the teeth, and how well they are maintained and cleaned. While twenty years being the average time that these kind of implants last, depending on these various factors they can last anywhere from five to forty years.