What are All-on-4 Dental Implants?
Have you lost all or almost all of your teeth? Are you looking for a permanent solution to replace all of your teeth? All-on-4 Dental Implant is a remarkable technique which involves accommodating an entire arch of teeth in the upper or lower jaw of your mouth using just 4 implants. All-on-4 Dental implants eliminate the need for replacing all the individual teeth with individual implants.
Who are all indicated for All-on-4 dental implants?
All-on-4 Dental Implants are indicated for anyone who requires a complete upper or lower arch restoration. Dentists also recommend All-on-4 Dental Implants for patients who require a complete both arch restoration. All-on-4 Dental Implants is only for adults who are 18 years of age and above.
The dentist will completely analyze and examine your jaw bone for the presence of adequate jaw bone volume to accommodate the Implants. Generally speaking, for those who have been found to have less jaw bone height, all-on-4 dental implants is a good restorative choice. If all other implantologists say that implants cannot be done due to the reduced jaw bone height, all-on-4 dental implants are the optimal choice for such patients.
Screening is a must for all patients for any signs of periodontal diseases or infections before the implant procedure begins.
What are the contraindications for All-on-4 Dental Implants?
People with a history of moderate to heavy tobacco use in the past 5 years do not qualify for the implant procedure. Because studies have shown that the use of tobacco can drastically slow down and impair the healing process after the surgery. People with uncontrolled diabetes also do not qualify for all-on-4 dental implants. Uncontrolled diabetes also impairs the healing process and also makes the patient susceptible to infection after the implant procedure. Patients with HIV, Hepatitis B or C, Cancer are not indicated for all-on-4 dental implants. Patients actively undergoing chemotherapy treatment also do not qualify for All-on-4 Dental Implants. Pregnant women also cannot undergo the implant procedure.
How do All-on-4 Dental implants differ from regular implants?
Restoring either the upper or lower jaw using conventional implant methods would require about 8-10 implants per jaw. While on the other hand, All-on-4 Dental Implants can accommodate an entire arch with just 4 implants. Unlike conventional implants which are placed vertically, the rear implants in All-on-4 Dental Implants are placed in a 30-45 degree angle from the biting plane. This allows people who have suffered bone loss to get all-on-4 Dental Implants. The angled position of the rear implants also provides optimal strength.
What are the benefits of All-on-4 Dental Implants?
Since All-on-4 Dental Implants use only 4 implants, they’re a more cost-effective and time-saving procedure. Although this is a surgical procedure, it’s relatively simple and is a single-day procedure. The procedure time taken for all-on-4 dental implants is lesser than conventional dental implants. Since the position and the angulation of the implant are predetermined by the surgical template, the accuracy of placing the implant is 100%. With newer advancements, all-on-4 dental implants have eliminated the need for a bone graft. One of the advantages of all-on-4 dental implants is that it allows you to have a full set of functional teeth on the same day as the implant procedure. The pre-manufactured titanium bar allows manufacturing of the acrylic dentures according to the patient’s gum height. This allows for easy maintenance and cleaning of the dentures. Ensure to visit the dentist for your routine check-ups after getting your All-on-4 Dental Implants.
Post-surgical care after getting All-on-4 Dental Implants
- Do not disturb the implant sites for a few days after the surgery to allow uninterrupted healing of the implant sites.
- Smoking and any other means of tobacco use should be stopped completely.
- Maintain proper hygiene and use the prescribed anti-bacterial mouth wash to prevent infection.
- Avoid straining yourself physically for a few weeks after the implant surgery.
- Don’t chew or bite hard foods immediately after the implant procedure. Eat soft foods until further instructed by your implantologist.