What Is All On 4 Dental Implant?

By Author: Aspen Sybert
Total Articles: 18
Comment this article

Most people would feel uneasy when hearing the word implants and teeth in the same sentence. Even more wouldn’t even know what All-on-4 meant let alone how the procedure works.

So what is All-on-4?

An All-on-4 is a specific procedure that will implant a full prosthesis of teeth into the jaw bone with only four anchors per arch. Anchors are essentially the screws holding everything in place.

It provides the toothless with teeth, much like dentures would, but more permanent and without a lot of the hassle. Patients can choose to have either the upper or lower portion done or both, both saves time and usually money in the long run.

One aspect that makes the All-on-4 procedure different from other implants is that they are placed at an angle, which allows for increased contact by using the natural support of your bone. This eliminates the need for bone grafting or replacing missing bone in most patients.

How the procedure works

The first step is getting the teeth to match the arch of the patient’s existing teeth or dentures. This arch will be crucial to creating the final teeth ...
... to be installed.

The day of the procedure the patient is IV sedated to relax them and then the surgery area is numbed. If there are any unnecessary teeth they will be removed. Although the patient will walk out of there seeing their new smile, it is not the finished product.

Once the bone has secured the dental implants then they remove the temporary arch of teeth to make room for the stronger and sleeker arch leaving only a beautiful long-lasting smile.

All-on-4 verses dentures

People who should consider dental implants are those who have dentures or are looking into receiving them. Dentures press against the gums, need special care, can’t be worn at night and have all of these other hassles associated with them.

All-on-4 implants look, feel, and function like normal teeth would. The dental care could be that of having normal teeth, brushing, flossing, and visiting the dentist regularly. No one will even notice they aren’t real.

When searching for the best solution to tooth loss the All-on-4 should really be at the top of everyone’s list. This is a long term solution with no more up-keep than your average teeth. It allows you to get back to your everyday life.