25 Nov Enjoy A Permanent Tooth Replacement Solution with All-on-4
One of the common complaints about traditional dentures is that the appliances tend to lose their fit as the patient gradually loses jawbone tissue over time. Patients who want a more permanent solution to restore their smiles after tooth loss should consider All-on-4 as an alternative.
With All-on-4, an oral surgeon can place just four dental implants to secure a denture. Those dental implants also stabilize the underlying jawbone, which results in a number of benefits for patients, including durability among others.
How All-on-4 Works
All-on-4 relies on dental implants to secure a denture, and those small titanium cylinders end up replacing the roots of missing teeth. The four dental implants are placed in a single appointment that takes just a few hours.
In many cases, a temporary prosthetic can be placed the same day that the dental implants are inserted in the jaw. Check with your oral surgeon to see if this might be possible in your case.
Because only four dental implants are used to anchor the denture, a wide range of patients will be eligible for this treatment. Bone loss can preclude dental implant placement, but All-on-4 maximizes available bone, allowing some patients who have experienced bone loss to access this treatment.
Why All-on-4 Offers A Permanent Solution
Unlike traditional dentures, All-on-4 is structurally complete. This means that it replaces some of the roots of missing teeth in addition to the crowns. The roots are really an underappreciated part of the tooth’s structure. They perform so many important functions.
One of those functions is preventing jawbone atrophy. As such, the shape of the jaw remains constant with All-on-4, as does the fit of your appliance. In contrast, with conventional dentures that only replace the crowns, not the roots, the jawbone erodes and its contour changes, as does the denture’s fit.
If you take good care of your dental implants, All-on-4 can stay in place for decades while conventional dentures typically need to be refitted or even replaced periodically.
Other Benefits of All-on-4
There are a number of other benefits associated with All-on-4, including improved:
- Comfort
- Convenience
- Chewing function
- Self-confidence
These are just a few of the many advantages of the All-on-4 approach. If you need to restore your smile after tooth loss and want to see if All-on-4 might be a good fit for you, schedule a no-obligation consultation with our team at Central Oklahoma Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery Associates.