All on 4 dental implants offered at our clinic on can give you your desired set of teeth in a day (same day smile) using just four implants.
All-on-4 Implants are an option to replace missing teeth. A full set of beautiful teeth can dramatically boost a person’s confidence, and improve quality of life by providing ease of eating and talking, which most of us take for granted. A set of teeth is usually replaced by the placement of a denture or implants.
Dentures
Advantages of Dentures
- Dentures provide a full set of natural looking teeth at an affordable price
- Relatively quick procedure and short appointment times
- No drilling or surgery is involved
Disadvantages of Dentures
- Will loosen over time
- Does not help in preserving jaw bone, meaning future dentures have less to hold on to which can lead to increasing difficulty in denture retention
- May loosen during eaten eating and talking
- Taste can sometimes be altered with upper dentures
- Changes and alters speech
- Need to remove at night time
- Soft tissue may ulcerate
- May need to reline or need new dentures over time
- Difficulty in eating hard and sticky food
- Possible Poor tolerance by patients
Implants
- Advantages of Implants
- Implants have a very high success rate (90% plus over 5 years) and durability
- Are fixed in place meaning you don’t have to take them out
- You are able to eat hard and sticky foods
- Closest option to natural teeth
- Cost effective in the long-term
- Preserves bone levels
- Conservative option – non destructive to healthy teeth
Disadvantages of Implants
- High initial cost
- Need for minor surgery
- Time needed for full osteointegration of implants (the integration of the metal to the bone)
An option for those looking to replace a full set of missing teeth is available, which combines the advantages of the two. It consists of placement of four implants rather than the usual 6 – 10, to support a bridge or denture. This system is called the All-on-4 implant system.
What does the All-on-4 procedure entail?
After your consultation with the dentist, a full jaw radiograph (OPG x-ray) and possibly a CT scan will be taken to examine the amount and location of bone in your jaw. This will allow the dentist to diagnose if there is enough bone length, width and density to securely place All On 4 Dental Implants. A thorough examination will also be performed to check that there are no problems present in the mouth before commencing.
Placement of the four implants is the same as normal implant procedures. Treatment is carried out in a near sterile environment similar to a hospital, with the surfaces and surgeons scrubbed and covered. The operation is carried out under local anaesthesia and is pain-free. The implant fuses with the natural bone over time. This process is called osseointegration or osteointegration and gives the replacement teeth maximum stability.
Two of the All On 4 Dental Implants are placed at the front of the mouth, taking advantage of the dense jaw bone existing there. The two implants at the posterior of the mouth are fitted at forty-five degree angles to allow maximum stability and take full advantage of the stronger bone in front of the jaw and avoid the maxillary sinus’s in the upper jaw.
There is no need to wait for the mouth to heal before placing bridges or dentures on the implants with All-on-4 implants, so the patient leaves the surgery with a full set of functional and beautiful teeth.
The treatment remains popular and is generally successful when performed by an experienced surgeon.
Am I suitable for All-on-4?
Before beginning treatment the dentist will perform a thorough assessment to ensure suitability of treatment. Dental Implants have the highest success rate when performed on suitable candidates. Factors posing as risks to success are if the patient is diabetic or smokes heavily. Smokers must note they are two and a half times more likely to experience failure than non-smokers. However, this does not preclude smokers from having implants.
Those who suffer from gum disease will need to have the condition dealt with prior to proceeding with implants. Treatment may be a professional clean by the dentist (to decrease bacterial count) and a continuation of good oral hygiene regimes at home. For severe cases of gum disease a more intense gum treatment performed by a periodontist may be necessary. It is important the patient understands the importance of good oral hygiene and is able to undertake daily brushing and flossing using correct techniques prior to the placement of implants. For videos and an explanation of correct oral hygiene techniques, click here.
You should discuss your suitability with your dentist before contemplating undergoing the All-on-4 treatment.
What are the benefits of All-on-4 Dental Implants?
- Only requires 4 implants instead of the usual 6 – 10
- All on 4 Dental Implants are carried out far quicker than traditional methods with less surgery
- Less costs involved than standard placement of 6-8 implants
- Bone graft unlikely to be required, which also reduces the cost
- Permanent set of teeth can be fitted in the same appointment as the implants
- All on 4 Dental Implants are a great way of preventing the inconvenience of denture looseness, slippage and wear, which helps when eating and talking, and allow the new teeth to be treated just like regular teeth.
- Those who have All-on-4 dental implants experience the same ability to eat as people with a full set of natural teeth and will experience no difference in taste, i.e. the ability to eat hard and sticky foods which are normally challenging to denture wearers.
- The teeth of All-on-4 do not rub against the gums (thus no ulceration with denture wear) as they are securely anchored into the dental implants.
- All-on-4 replacement teeth are fixed permanently in the mouth and can be cleaned just like natural teeth. In time you will not think about the fact that you have implants.
- High implant survival rate. Short term: 97.5%-100%, Medium term: 96.7-100%, Long term: 94.8% (Faculty Dental Journal Jan 2012, Vol 3 Issue 1 page 25).
What are the risks of All on 4 Dental Implants?
As with most dental treatments, there are risks involved when placing All-on-4 implants.
Although unlikely, you may experience some pain and swelling in the implant area after the All-on-4 implants are placed. Over the counter pain killers should help with the discomfort until it resolves. However, the procedure itself will be pain-free.
Your dentist will use x-rays or CT scans to determine the exact position of the many nerves which are in your lower jaw. These nerves supply your tongue, chin and lower lip and teeth; if they are disturbed or damaged during the implant procedure, you might experience tingling or numbness. Every effort will be taken by your dentist to avoid this happening.
As you can imagine, the amount of stress and force when biting and chewing can put great strain on the jaw bones. It is therefore important the quality of the bone is good enough to cope with the pressure. Otherwise this can lead to the implant not fusing with the bone properly, and possible failure.
It is important you weigh up all of the pros and cons when deciding if All-on-4 is the right approach for you.
For more information on implants, bone grafts and sinus lifts click here.
If you would like to find out more about All-on-4 implants, please feel free to contact our branch in London to book your free consultation.
All on 4 implants and teeth in a day implants in Lincolnshire provide numerous benefits to a person’s quality of life and are considered to be the best long-term solution to replace missing teeth. Dental implants can support dental bridges, dentures, and provide a set of teeth in a day. Dental implants are offered at Elegant Smiles dental practice in Sleaford, Lincolnshire. Complex implant cases can be carried out by our Implant surgeon at our Lincolnshire practice.
Here are some ‘work in progress’ photos during the All-on-4 implant placement showing one of our lab technician working on patients’ same day teeth.
