What is All on 4 Dental Implants?
An All on 4 dental implant is a variation of a dental implant. Let us first describe and understand a dental implant and then we can identify this adaptation and when it is advantageous and beneficial to consider this method.
A Description of a Dental Implant
If an unfortunate accident, injury, or an extraction, has left you with a missing tooth, you are left with a gap where that tooth was. It is essential to have that tooth replaced. If you leave the gap open the neighboring teeth will start to drift and shift into that gap which has a negative effect on your bite alignment and even your speech. Your options to replace that tooth have been a dental bridge, or now a dental implant.
With minor oral surgery a tiny titanium post is implanted into your jawbone. After a few months of healing this post will grow and fuse to the bone. Now an extension or abutment is added to the post to reach the surface of your gums. Finally, a porcelain or enamel crown, custom fabricated in a dental lab to match your natural teeth, will be placed on the abutment. This alternative is extraordinarily strong and the most realistic when it comes to replacing that tooth. The titanium post acts as a root stabilizing the tooth. In fact, with the addition of the post it helps preserve the integrity of your jawbone.
Transitioning to an All on 4 Dental Implant
Quantifiably speaking dental implants have now grown to over three million procedures a year. Successful, safe, and dependable when it comes to preserving the health and integrity of your teeth, your gums and most importantly, your smile. Unfortunately, over 35 million American adults are missing all their teeth in either their upper or lower arch. In the past the only option was traditional dentures. Or, with implants, an implant for each missing tooth, which would be quite costly. The All on 4 restoration solution combines both methods.
How does an All on 4 Dental Implant work?
Your dentist will precisely place four small titanium posts in the arch where the teeth are missing. After the posts have fused to the bone the abutment extensions will be added. Then an acrylic tray or bridge with porcelain or ceramic crowns will be affixed to those four posts and you now have a permanent replacement for your missing natural teeth.
The Benefits of an All on 4 Dental Implant
The life expectancy of an All on 4 dental implant restoration is currently at 98% over the ten years they have been researched and documented. With the four posts functioning as artificial roots they are permanent and do not need to be taken out like traditional dentures. They are much stronger when it comes to biting and chewing. Also, those four posts deliver stimulating pressures to the jawbone maintaining jawbone integrity preventing atrophy and possible facial changes. An All on 4 dental implant is a viable new option if you have experienced losing all your teeth or are tired of dealing with traditional dentures. Discuss this life changing option with your dentist today.
