All About All-on-4 Dental Implants

Everything you need to know about this superior alternative to dentures

Have you lost most or all of the teeth in your upper or lower jaw? You may think that a denture is your only option. But dentures are clumsy, uncomfortable, and will make you feel old beyond your years. Maybe you’ve heard a little bit about the benefits of dental implants as an alternative to dentures, but assume replacing all your teeth with implants would be cost-prohibitive and time-consuming.

The good news is, all-on-4 dental implants provide the opportunity to reap the benefits of dental implants without the high cost or long recovery time of a traditional procedure.

What Are All-on-4 Dental Implants?

All-on-4 dental implants are essentially permanent dentures. They allow an entire arch of up to 14 teeth to be replaced on just 4 implant pegs. This allows patients to:

• Reduce or eliminate bone atrophy in the jaw
• Enjoy a natural, youthful-looking smile
• Eat normally, even hard or sticky foods

Advantages Compared Traditional Implants

Using traditional implants (with each implant supporting a restoration of 1 to 3 teeth), it can take 6, 8, or even more implants to replace all the missing teeth in a patient’s upper or lower jaw. The chief advantage of all-on-4 implants is that only 4 implants are needed. This helps reduce the cost of the procedure as well as the healing time before the permanent implants can be placed.

Additionally, because the 4 implants can be placed towards the front of the jaw where bone density is typically higher, the all-on-4 procedure opens up the possibility of implants to a greater range of patients. Patients who might need bone grafts in order to get traditional implants in the back of the jaw can get all-on-4 implants without the need for this additional surgery.

Advantages Compared to Dentures

All-on-4 implants are superior to traditional dentures for many reasons. First of all, while dentures do not do anything to stop bone loss in the jaw and therefore need to be refitted often, all-on-4 implants actually stabilize the jaw, reducing bone loss and preserving a youthful appearance.

All-on-4 implants are also much more comfortable than dentures. There is no need for adhesives, the implants do not press down or rub on the gums like dentures do, and there will be no shifting or embarrassing noises during speaking or eating. Because all-on-4 implants allow for an increased bite force of up to 70 percent more than dentures, patients can also eat all their favorite foods in total comfort.

Learn More at California Dental Group

If you would like to learn more about dental implants, please schedule an appointment with one of our experienced implant dentists.