All on 4 dental implants.
All-on-Four is a particular dental treatment that allows fixing ‘all’ the teeth to ‘four’ dental implants: this type of treatment is a well-documented procedure that consists in a permanent full denture attached to only four implants, inserted in the upper or lower jawbones.
All on 4 treatment.
All-on-four is a technology studied since the ‘70s and it is now widely used for people that miss all the teeth.
In the past, people without any teeth usually used removable dentures, devices that can be functional but are not very comfortable and healthy, since they require a lot of maintenance and don’t oppose the process of the loss of the bones.
Now, dental implants have become a revolutionary procedure, that makes the patient feel as they have their natural teeth. A dental implant works because a titanium screw is inserted in the gum: titanium is a biocompatible material, that fuses in the bones (this process is called osseo-integration) and become a really strong support for another prosthesis, it can last forever; prosthesis might be a crown, a dental bridge or a denture, for example.
All on 4 dentures. The treatments.
In All-on-Four treatments, all the upper or lower teeth are supported by only four implants: two straight anterior implants and two implants tilted up to 45 degrees in the posterior; the implants are strategically placed in the jawbone, and this is a crucial step for the success of the treatment.
After the implants are inserted in the jawbone, they must remain completely immobile to allow the process of osseo-integration to occur. The process needs at least three months, the healing period, during this period no forces have to be applied to the implants since their movements can mean the failure of the treatment.
The dentist applies some temporary teeth and the patient has to follow a soft diet and avoid hard or crunchy foods.
After six to eight weeks, the permanent denture is attached to the implants and the new teeth are natural-looking, beautiful and functional.
In some cases, the All-on-Four treatment concept provides patients with an immediately loaded fixed prosthesis, but this depends on the condition of the patient and the health of the gums.
All on four. Cost.
All-on-Four procedure is not very cheap, it requires a lot of material and an experienced dentist: the price is around 15,000 dollars per jaw, but it is considered the most effective procedure.
