What are All-on-4 dental implants?

Tooth loss is very common among adults, with over 35 million people missing all their upper and/or lower teeth. However, other than dealing with the hassles of dentures, many people now prefer to get what is called “all-on-4” dental implant restoration. You may be wondering, can just four implants replace all the teeth on the top or the bottom of your mouth? The answer is yes, thanks to advances in dental implant technology.

What are dental implants?

Dental implants are a permanent and effective solution for replacing missing teeth, offering the look, feel, and function of natural teeth. They consist of a titanium post surgically placed in the jawbone, acting as a sturdy root to support a crown, bridge, or denture. Dental implants promote oral health by preventing bone loss and maintaining facial structure, making them a popular choice for long-term tooth replacement. With proper care, they can last a lifetime, providing a confident smile and improved chewing ability.

Type of Dental Implants

• Single Tooth Implants: Replace a single missing tooth with a titanium implant topped with a crown.
• Multiple Tooth Implants: Use multiple implants to support bridges or replace several missing teeth.
• Full Mouth Implants: Commonly done with techniques like All-on-4 or All-on-6, replacing an entire arch of teeth with fewer implants.
• Same-Day Implants: Also known as immediate load implants, where the implant and temporary crown are placed on the same day.
• Mini Dental Implants: Smaller implants used in areas with limited bone density, often for stabilizing dentures.
• Zygomatic Implants: Specialized implants anchored in the cheekbone for patients with severe bone loss in the upper jaw.
• Each treatment is tailored to the patient’s oral health and cosmetic goals, ensuring long-lasting and functional results.

What are All-on-4 dental implants?

All-on-4 dental implants are implants that can be used to replace missing teeth on either the upper or lower jaw, using only four implants. They also look, feel and function like your natural teeth.

How do they work?

They consist of four titanium implants which are inserted into each jaw and act as a foundation for a bridge, to which a fixed set of natural looking teeth can then be added.

Treatment Procedure

Before the surgery, you will need to consult with the oral surgeon and restorative dentist so they can develop a treatment plan for you. The initial consultation may involve taking X-rays, photos, impressions and other measurements.

After the initial consultation process, you will be scheduled for surgery implantation, which is where your new teeth will be fitted and adjusted within. The entire process is usually concluded within a 24-hour period, even if extractions are required. You will also be sedated during this procedure.

After six-months, your gums should have fully healed, and your implants fused to your bone.

How does All-on-4 differ from traditional dental implants?

With All-on-4 implants, you do not require bone grafting, just four implants that can support the entire arch of dental restorations. Unlike traditional implants that may require up to eight individual implants to support an entire arch of dental restorations, these ones only use four in total. While offering the same durability and support but with a faster treatment and recovery time.

The cost of treatment is also lower, unlike with traditional implants which require more dental implants to be placed and a strong jawline to support them, causing many patients to get a bone graft procedure before the implant procedure can be conducted, Thereby further increasing the cost as well as the amount of time required to complete the treatment.