“all On 4tm” Dental Implants: Changing Patients’ Lives

By Author: Jack De Richards
Total Articles: 98
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Did you know that the dental implant protocol called the “All on 4TM” enables oral surgeons to give edentulous patients (not having any original adult teeth left) and near-edentulous patients a complete set of beautiful, functional and fixed (non-removable) teeth in as little as a single dental appointment?
Innovative research and clinical work by European implantologist, Dr. Paulo Malo, introduced the world to this advanced technique for fixed oral rehabilitation using dental implants almost 20 years ago. In the subsequent decades, the “All on 4TM” protocol has become the preferred method around the world for full arch tooth replacement by many dental professionals and has changed the lives of tens of thousands of previously edentulous patients.
So, how did the All on 4 dental implants technique come about and what is the process behind this breakthrough procedure?
The “All on 4TM” Dental Implant Protocol is Created
According to statistics released by the Center for Disease Control ...
... and Prevention, a shocking 25% of adults over the age of 60 do not have a single original tooth left. The causes of rampant tooth loss are most frequently dental caries and periodontal (gum) disease, which are, in turn, caused by smoking, lifelong difficulties with proper oral hygiene and other health factors.
Decades ago, removable dentures were considered by dentists to be the best solution available for people who had lost most or all of their teeth simply because they enabled patients to live as normal a life as possible considering the circumstances. However, removable partial and full dentures came hand-in-hand with a whole host of crippling challenges and repeated expenses, such as adhesives, soaking solutions, anesthetic gels and more... not to mention the difficulties patients often had with eating and speaking correctly.
These challenges compelled implant dentist, Dr. Paulo Malo (image above), to design a new fixed technique for teeth replacement that would be capable of completely restoring bite function, smile aesthetics and oral health while offering patients a permanent (non-removable) set of teeth. After many years of clinical trials, the “All on 4TM” protocol was born and has since - with the aid of sophisticated computer software and technologies like a 3-D CT scan – become the successful and predictable procedure for the replacement of missing teeth it is today.
How the “All on 4TM” Works
Typically, a patient will be gently sedated intravenously and have a local anesthetic administered so that they experience no pain, discomfort or anxiety during the course of the procedure.
All of their remaining failing teeth will be extracted and their jaws thoroughly cleaned of any chronic infection in preparation for the dental implants.
The “All on 4TM” protocol itself involves the surgical placement of four dental implants – two in the anterior (front) portion of the jaw bone and two in the posterior (back) portion of the jaw bone (see image below). Once these four implants have been inserted and all incisions sutured, the prosthodontist will take over immediately.
The final phase of the “All on 4TM” protocol involves the placement of a fully customized prosthetic dental bridge, which looks like a complete set of teeth. This bridge is attached firmly to the four dental implants and the patient will be free to admire their new smile in the mirror!
The surgery itself takes little more than a few hours and the entire procedure, the better part of a day, but the benefits of fixed oral rehabilitation with the “All on 4TM” protocol are immediate and can last several decades!