All-on-Four Dental Implants
What are All-on-Four Dental Implants?
All-on-Four is a dental implant procedure in which all of a patient’s teeth in either the upper arch and lower arch (or both arches) are replaced with a denture that is attached to dental implants. The ‘four’ in All-on-Four indicates the minimum number of implants that the denture is attached to. This procedure is commonly advertised as “teeth in a day.” The denture is screw-retained – this means that the patient does not remove it from their mouth like a traditional set of dentures.
Screw-Retained Dentures
Benefits of All-on-Four Dental Implants
Screw-retained dentures improve the overall appearance of your smile by replacing missing or non-restorable teeth. They also improve overall function, speech, and chewing efficiency as well as having the benefit of being very stable due to their attachment to implants. Because of the presence of implants, the bone in the jaw is preserved; without implants, the bone will shrink. Another benefit of screw-retained dentures is that no denture material is placed on the palate. This is great for patients with a sensitive gag reflex. Also, with no denture material placed on the palate, there is less denture acrylic in the mouth so they don’t typically feel as bulky.
All-on-Four Procedure
Having these screw-retained dentures made will require several appointments. The first step is to make an initial or temporary set of dentures. Then, the placement of the implants is planned out through diagnostic images such as a CBCT scan. Next, the implants are placed. If there is sufficient stability when the implants are placed, the temporary dentures are then attached to the implants. If there is not enough stability, the temporary dentures are worn much like a traditional denture. This way you never have to go without teeth during your All-On-Four dental implant process. Once the implants have fully healed, new impressions will be taken of the mouth in order to fabricate your final set of dentures that will be attached to implants. In the end, you have the most stable possible fit you can have with a denture along with an ideal bite and improved appearance of your smile.
Contact Alonso Family Dental today to schedule an appointment to discuss how All-on-Four Dental Implants can improve your smile! Call us today or submit a contact form.
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