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What Is The All-On-4 Treatment Concept?
The all-on-4 treatment concept is an innovative solution to teeth replacement.
If you’re missing all of your teeth, you can replace all of your teeth using only four strategically placed dental implants. Traditionally, edentulous patients missing all of their teeth had two primary options — conventional dentures and conventional implants. Dentures allow you to replace all of your missing teeth without surgery, but the results look and feel fake. But if you opt for conventional implants, you need to place 10 or more implants per arch of missing teeth because one conventional implant can only support one dental crown.
The innovative all-on-4 treatment concept allows you to replace a complete arch of missing teeth using only four strategic implants. This procedure allows you to achieve completely perfect and uniform teeth without complications. But what are all-on-4 dental implants? How do all-on-4 implants compare to conventional implants? And what can you expect from the all-on-4 dental implant surgery? We provide the information you need about the all-on-4 treatment concept.
What Are All-On-4 Dental Implants?
To understand what all-on-4 dental implants are, you need first to understand dental implants and how they work.
A dental implant is a titanium or ceramic screw drilled into the jawbone underneath the missing tooth’s empty socket. The dental implant specialist surgically places the dental implant within the jawbone, following which your body initiates the osseointegration process. Your natural jawbone tissues gradually heal around the implant surface, turning the dental implant into a firmly rooted part of your dental anatomy. Dental implants replace the roots of your missing teeth, offering a firm and stable base for dental implant restorations.
Generally speaking, one dental implant can only replace one missing tooth because it can only support one crown. But the all-on-4 dental implant technique allows you to replace all missing teeth using four strategically placed dental implants in one or both arches. The dental implant surgeon places four strategic implants on the empty jawbone, and these implants can support a complete denture. Since the denture is fastened to the implants, it’s completely stable and solid and doesn’t move or shake.
How Do All-On-4 Implants Differ From Dentures?
All-on-4 dental implants are completely different from conventional dentures.
A conventional denture is a series of prosthetic teeth attached to a gum-colored or pink base. If you’re missing all of the teeth on the upper or lower jaw, the dentist attaches the denture to your gums using dental adhesives. Since dentures are attached to your gums using adhesives, they’re not highly durable or stable. They can often slip or slide out of place, and you can’t use them to eat hard foods. Furthermore, you must remove your dentures at night and clean them using special solutions so they don’t feel or look natural.
All-on-4 dental implants, also known as implant-supported dentures, are stable and durable. Instead of attaching the dentures to your gums using adhesives, the dental implant dentist attaches them to four strategically located dental implants. Since dental implants are a firmly rooted part of your dental anatomy, they can hold the denture in place. There’s no risk of your denture slipping or sliding out of place. Furthermore, you can’t remove the denture for cleaning, just like you can’t remove your natural teeth. That’s why all-on-4 implants look and feel natural.
How Do All-On-4 Implants Compare To Conventional Implants?
All-on-4 implants allow you to replace all missing teeth in the upper or lower arch.
Conventional implants can only replace individual teeth. In the past, dental implants could only support the weight of one implant restoration. If you had one missing tooth, you could get one implant and a crown. If you have three missing teeth, you need three dental implants, each with one crown. And similarly, if a patient needed full teeth implants, they needed 10+ implants, one implant for every missing tooth. Placing a large number of dental implants increases the risk of complications and takes more time and recovery.
But thanks to recent advancements, dental implants can support a complete arch of missing teeth. During the all-on-4 implants procedure, the dentist can attach four dental implants on the jawbone to support a complete denture. As such, you only need four implants to support all of your missing teeth — not 10 or more. Since you only need four implants, the procedure takes less time, involves minimal recovery, and reduces the risk of complications. As such, all-on-4 implants are more effective and safer than conventional implants for full mouth restoration.
What Are The Benefits Of All-On-4?
- Replace all of the missing teeth using four implants
- Support the underlying jawbone and prevent jawbone disintegration
- Reduce the overall procedure time
- Reduce the overall recovery time
- Minimize the risk of complications
- Reduce the overall cost of full mouth restoration
- Allow you to replace all of your missing teeth at once
- Ensure complete stability and durability
How Long Are All-On-Four Procedures?
All-on-4 dental implants are supposed to last a lifetime. With proper care and oral hygiene, all-on-4 dental implants can last a lifetime and don’t need to be replaced. The denture may have to be replaced after 10 to 20 years, but that’s a simple non-surgical procedure. Dental implants are for life.
Schedule An Appointment For All-On-4 Dental Implants In Houston, Tx
URBN Dental is a group of state-of-the-art dental implant clinics specializing in cutting-edge dental implant techniques. Our dental implant specialists offer comprehensive full-on-four dental implant techniques to help you achieve a complete arch of perfect teeth. Please schedule an appointment at your nearest dental implant clinic in Uptown Houston, Midtown Houston, or Montrose.