What Are All-On-4 Dental Implants?
Are you making the right choices for your dental health?
Every day, patients reach out to us to learn more about dental hygiene, preventive dentistry, and All-on-4 dental implants. With the stakes so high, people want to be certain that they’re pursuing the right solution to their missing, lost, or damaged teeth.
Making smart decisions about your dental health is easier when you have all the information. Whether you’re looking to restore your smile or you want to take proactive steps to maintain your oral health, our team can work with you to develop an informed, actionable plan.
In today’s post we’re going to take a closer look at All-on-4. What is it? How does it work? And, most importantly, is it a potential option for your situation?
What Are All-On-Four Implants?
All-on-4 implants are an alternative to dentures that permanently replace both your upper and lower teeth. Designed to ensure a natural look that preserves – and restores – your face’s contour, they are a long-lasting solution that aims to improve oral hygiene and boost self-confidence.
With traditional dental implants, each implant is placed over a titanium screw that is fixed into the jawbone. But, with All-on-4, a full-mouth prosthesis is anchored to the jawbone using only four titanium screws. Because only four screws are necessary, the anchors are angled into regions of the jaw with higher bone density. As a result of these factors, All-on-4 dental implants can deliver a permanent, seamless look that are more secure, more durable, and more cost effective.
How Do All-On-4 Dental Implants Help?
Most traditional methods of addressing tooth loss aren’t a permanent solution. Bridges, crowns, and removable dentures don’t last nearly as long as dental implants, and their efficacy can vary depending on a number of factors. Full-arch rehabilitation with All-on-4 implants, on the other hand, can potentially last a lifetime. In most cases, dental implants deliver outstanding results and a number of key benefits.
Fix Missing Teeth
As a treatment plan for missing or broken teeth, All-on-4 dental implants are unparalleled. Not only do they perfectly mimic your natural teeth, they can be customized to your liking. After years of tooth loss, many patients comment on how amazing it feels to have the confidence to speak, laugh, and smile without feeling self-conscious.
Prevent Bone Loss
Studies have proven that missing teeth can cause bone loss. Healthy teeth bite, chew, and grind, which creates the pressure necessary to stimulate and strengthen the jawbone. When teeth are missing, however, this stimulation doesn’t occur and the body reabsorbs the bone tissue that it no longer needs. As a result, you can experience changes to your facial structure, difficulty eating, and even additional tooth loss.
Treat Periodontal Disease
Since dental implants help to preserve your jawbone, they are a great treatment for anyone diagnosed with periodontal disease. By replacing teeth lost due to the disease, All-on-4 dental implants can help to stall its progression. And, while there’s no cure for gum disease, there are a number of treatments available, all of which can all be supported by high-quality dental implants.
Speak and Eat Easier
One of the biggest challenges that people with missing teeth face is speaking and eating. With full-mouth dental implants, you can return to enjoying all of the foods you love. And, even better, you’ll be able to speak easier, as they will restore tooth positioning, tongue placement, and make it much, much easier to articulate in a natural way.
Recovery After Full-Arch Dental Implants
In most cases, the implant procedure takes three to five hours. After the procedure, it can take up to four months to fully recover. But, you’ll also have fixed teeth the day of your surgery and will need to eat soft foods for some time after.
During the early healing process, increased sensitivity and mild pain are common. If you’ve had multiple extractions as part of the implantation process, bruising and swelling may also occur. To monitor your progress, our team will schedule regular follow-up visits. During these visits, we’ll check to ensure that you’re healing properly, that you aren’t experiencing any complications, and that the implants are securely anchored.
How Long Do Fixed Implants Last?
All-on-4 dental implants can be made from a number of materials, including acrylic, zirconia, and titanium. Intended to be a long-term solution, they can last the rest of your life as long as you continue to responsibly stick to your dental hygiene routine.
Once you’ve healed from your implant surgery, keeping your All-on-4 teeth clean is as easy as caring for your natural teeth. Brush, floss, and use oral rinses every day, as well as regularly visiting your dentist for teeth cleanings. After your surgery is completed, one of our team members will sit down with you to discuss your case, recommend courses of action, and create a plan to maintain your implants.
Ready to Get Your New Smile?
At West Wind Dental, we strive to provide our clients with the absolute best preventive, restorative, and cosmetic dentistry services available. With a team of highly trained, extremely friendly individuals ready to assist you, you can rest easy knowing that your dental health is in good hands and we can give you back the smile you once had or even the smile you never had, along with the confidence that comes with it.
Time and again, studies have shown that poor dental hygiene can dramatically decrease quality of life. It can lead to low self-esteem, poor diets, and difficulty with speech. As stewards of our clients’ dental health, we take our role seriously and aim to deliver the best service possible. So, if you have questions about hygiene, All-on-4, or any of the services that we offer, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us.
Dr. Andrew Hamilton, DDS, FAGD
Dr. Hamilton is an active member of several professional organizations including the American Dental Association (ADA), the Michigan Dental Association (MDA), the Kalamazoo Valley District Dental Society (KVDDS), the American Academy of Implant dentistry (AAID), the International Academy of Facial Aesthetics (IAFA) and also attends courses with the Pikos Institute in Northwest Florida. He is a member of the International Congress of Oral Implantologists (ICIO), has achieved fellowship status in the International Dental Implant Association (IDIA) and in the Academy of General Dentistry (FAGD), has graduated from and is an alumnus of the Kois Center program in Seattle, and is on the faculty of the Global Dental Implant Academy (GDIA).
The little spare time left over is spent Steelhead and Salmon fishing and the occasional round of golf.
