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What’s “All-on-4” all about? That refers to when “all” teeth are supported “on four” dental implants — it’s a surgical and technique prosthodontics procedure for total rehabilitation of the edentulous patient. It can also be used for patients with badly broken down teeth, decayed teeth, or compromised teeth due to gum disease.
It involves the rehabilitation of either edentulous or dentate maxilla and/or mandible with fixed prosthesis. This is done by placing four implants in the anterior maxilla, where bone density is higher. A fixed prosthesis with 10 to 14 teeth is supported by the four implants, and it’s placed immediately, typically within 24 hours of surgery.
The benefits of All-on-4 implants include:
- Complete restoration of the arch
- Shorter installation times than other implants
- Immediate function
- Prevention of further bone loss
- Bone level stabilization helps renew a youth appearance
- Decrease in the need for a bone graft
- Greatly reduces overall cost when compared to single implants
Description of the procedure.
The All-On-4 treatment concept is named as such due to the method, which consists of applying a dental prosthesis with at least 12 teeth (bridge) fixed in the jaw, based only on four titanium implants.
When it comes to the procedure, it’s best for patients with significant tooth loss or decay, and for people whose bone loss in the jaw area prevents them from getting conventionally oriented (vertical) dental implants.
Tooth loss is often accompanied by loss of the jaw bone, which poses the problem of reconstruction of the jaw bone requiring bone grafting. That’s where the All-on-4 technique comes in. It takes advantage of the dense bone that remains in the front part of the jaws, and places the two posterior implants on an angle. This helps to avoid the nerve canal in the lower jaw and the sinus cavities in the upper jaw.
For successful implementation, first a careful analysis of the bone structure needs to be made, which is ideally done by a CBCT scan. The All-on-4 protocol is for at least four implants to be placed in a jaw, with the back implants typically angled approximately 30 to 45 degrees from the biting plane.
The implant is placed in front of the maxillary sinus in the upper jaw (maxilla) and in front of the mental nerve in the lower jaw (mandible). After the head of the implant emerges in approximately the second premolar position, a molar tooth is allowed to be cantilevered posterior. This results in a denture or bridge with approximately 12 teeth.
It might sound a bit complex, but you’re in good hands with the specialists at Dental Care Marlboro. Contact us today to find out how we can implement the All-on-4 procedure for you.