Through significant advancements in modern dentistry, dentists can now use just four dental implants to replace all of the teeth on the top and or bottom of the mouth.
The loss of teeth is unfortunately quite common in adults. The risk of losing teeth increases due to the natural aging process. More than 35 million people in the United States are missing all of their teeth in the entire upper or lower jaw. Dentures can have significant limitations such as feeling uncomfortable, challenging to clean, and moving during routine use. As a result, many patients are looking to dental implants to aid in their tooth restoration goals.
Four dental implants can actually be used to support a complete arch of teeth. To understand this modern method for replacing missing teeth, patients must first have a good understanding of the dental implant procedure. Dental implants are a small screw which are commonly made from titanium. The implant is placed directly into the patient’s jawbone and acts as the root where the missing tooth is located. The placement of the dental implant is actually considered to be a surgical procedure and the dental professional will use a local anesthetic. Once the implant is placed, the dentist will attach a crown. The result is a strong, functional, and attractive prosthetic tooth.
Individual dental implants are quite expensive. Fortunately, the all-on-4 procedure allows the dentist to replace all the teeth in the top or bottom of the mouth using four implants. Using individual implants for an entire jaw would be time consuming, tedious, and expensive. The dentist can precisely place as few as four dental implants on the top or bottom of the mouth to completely restore a patient’s smile. Implants are made from titanium, giving them the unique ability to fuse into the jawbone. This gives the prosthetic tooth an incredibly strong foundation and allows the tooth to function like the natural teeth without limitations.
In addition to providing the dentures with a strong base, implants help prevent bone loss by stimulating the jawbone from chewing. By maintaining the jawbone, patients can maintain good oral health and avoid negatively impacting their facial appearance.
Patients can achieve a new smile and complete set of teeth in a single day. When modern technology used for the full mouth procedure is combined with expert-level implant teams, patients can restore their smile in a single day. Below are the steps to completing the all-on-four procedure in a single day for patients who are missing most of their teeth in the upper or lower jaw:
* An implant team often includes doctors, lab technicians, and required equipment which is all conveniently in the same location
* The team will place the dental implants and dentures on the same day
* The patient is able to restore their smile in a single day without multiple visits or appointments at different locations
It will take a few months for the dental implants to completely heal and fuse to the jawbone. Once the mouth has fully healed, the patient can return to the office where the team will replace the temporary denture with a permanent, customized set of teeth.
Scheduled an appointment to discuss if all-on-4 dental implants may be a good tooth replacement solution to restore your smile.