BOYNTON BEACH & BOCA RATON
WHAT ARE ALL-ON-FOUR DENTAL IMPLANTS
Sometimes, dental implants are not a practical possibility due to the low structural integrity of the jaw bone. A bone graft is essential to get the bone strong enough to withstand the stress and pressure of the dental implants.
But, what if you don’t have the time needed for the bone graft to heal? Traditional dental implants, with their own extended healing time, may become too tedious and impractical in such cases. An alternate treatment technique that you can choose in such a situation is the All-on-Four®.
ORIGIN OF ALL-ON-FOUR
Designed by Portuguese dental practitioner Dr. Paulo Malón in 1988, All-on-Four® implant dentures use just four small dental implants to support the entire set of teeth on each of the arches in the patient’s mouth. This is a prosthetics dentistry treatment technique that is gaining popularity around the world for its short operation time and quick recovery time.
At Somi Dental Group & Orthodontics, our founder and chief dentist, Dr. Arnaldo A Lopez (DDS), specializes in performing All-on-Four® implant treatment. Feel free to speak to us if you’d like to know more about the benefits of this extremely effective procedure.
REPAIR AND RESTORE TEETH WITH MINIMAL SURGICAL INTERVENTION
In earlier days of dental technology, the possibility of supporting an entire set of teeth on just four small implants wouldn’t have been imaginable. With conventional dental implant treatments, a set of three or four teeth can be supported by a single implant. To replace a set of 32 teeth in the mouth, a patient would need up to eight implants at least. The implants used in this type of conventional treatment were rigid and inflexible, necessitating a lot of maneuvering and filing of the surrounding healthy teeth to insert the implants perfectly in the jaw. This caused extensive damage to healthy jaw and teeth.
WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW
However, thanks to the miracle of modern technology, we now have the knowledge to use the most minimalistic surgical intervention to create a sturdy base for the entire top and bottom rows of the teeth. The All-on-Four® implant technology allows dentists to replace the complete set of teeth on each arch of the jaw, with four precisely and accurately placed tilted dental implants.
These four implants are inserted at different angles in the arch and at points that will offer the entire arch maximum support. Since they are made from titanium, these All-on-Four® dental implants provide a highly-stable foundation to insert the teeth. They very easily fit inside the jaw, fuse with the jaw bone, and seamlessly become a part of the jaw. When the dental bridges are restored on the implants, the new set of teeth fit snugly into the mouth, making the dental arch both structurally strong and aesthetically beautiful.
THE BENEFITS OF ALL-ON-FOUR TREATMENT
Most All-on-Four® implants are angled at 45º. However, the dentist might also recommend an implant angled at 30º if that fits your requirements better. Usually, the anterior implants (at the front of the arch) are straight, and the posterior implants (at the side or back of the arch) are tilted. This unique angle of the implants gives the All-on-Four® the ability to provide support to the entire arch from various points of placement.
- There is very little drilling involved, leading to less bleeding, low pain, and less inflammation.
- The tilted implants can be inserted into even soft bone tissue, making bone grafts redundant.
- The implants can be fitted immediately and recovery time will be just a few weeks long.
- The All-on-Four® show a visible improvement in the quality of speech and mouth movements post-treatment.
- This is an ever-evolving technology and recipients of the All-on-Four® implants can benefit from technological breakthroughs.
- The long-term costs of this treatment are significantly lesser than traditional implants.
WHO ARE ELIGIBLE FOR ALL-ON-FOUR IMPLANTS?
Dr. Lopez usually recommends the All-on-Four® treatment for edentulous patients, that is, patients who do not have any teeth or who are in the process of losing all of their teeth permanently.
Patients may lose teeth due to a variety of reasons, from poor oral hygiene to genetic conditions to infections to substance abuse. If Dr. Lopez believes that your jaw still possesses healthy bone and tissue in certain areas of the dental arch and that a bone graft can be avoided without any consequences, he may recommend the All-on-Four® treatment for you.
SCHEDULE A CONSULTATION
CHOOSE A DENTAL CENTER WITH SKILL AND EXPERIENCE
If your child is the patient and his/her teeth are still developing, Dr. Lopez may not recommend the All-on-Four® treatment. However, we do offer a variety of non-surgical dental treatments that are designed specifically for children. Be sure to ask the doctor about these.
Take a look at our Before & After page to see the amazing results All-on-Four® treatment offers when performed. Contact us to schedule an appointment for the procedure.
