The All on 4 system works with the implantation of four to six posts directly in the jaw bone for permanent retention. Following a period of healing, your denture will remain firmly in place. As you grow used to the new sensation of having a full set of teeth, your speech will improve, your ability to chew will improve and quickly you’ll find yourself forgetting that you even have dentures, they will feel like your natural teeth.
Retaining Your Denture
We can now surgically set your dentures permanently in place because of the advancement of dental implants. A dental implant, sometimes called a tooth implant, is a titanium post that we can surgically insert through the gums and into the jawbone. Once healed, the implant will be a firm post in your mouth, bonding with the bone.
Dental implants have the unique advantage of being biocompatible with our bone tissue. This means that our bone will naturally grow and heal around the implant fusing the two together. Implants are specially designed to capture significant amounts of bone through its threaded design, as the bone heals around the threads there is considerable bone to implant contact helping the device be firmly solid.
For the All on 4 process, we use longer than standard implants that are placed at an angle to capture even thicker, more dense bone. The length and placement means that a bone graft is not necessary, even if the patient has already been wearing dentures for years.
Surgical Process
Most implant procedures are completed over a series of months with multiple steps. The All on 4 Treatment Concept is completed with just two appointments, the initial dental exam and then surgery, it’s that easy. Patients will come in for surgery and leave with their denture placed the same day.
Treatment can be completed with your own denture or a new one, we can check the status of your denture and discuss it during the planning phase. On the day of the surgery, we will already have a treatment map in place based on your digital x-rays and information gathered when planning. The first step will be ensuring your comfort. We will discuss beforehand sedation options specific to your needs. Once ready, we will open the tissue in the designated spots, expose the bone, create space in the bone and place the implants. Surgery is surprisingly easy because of the preparatory work we completed. The tissue is then closed and the patient is sent home with care instructions for a period of healing.
Tissue healing occurs quickly, in a matter of days. Bone healing will take longer, it can take several months. We will want to check the status of healing periodically. During the healing phase, you will want to be easy on your new teeth, eating only soft foods. We hope that as you heal, you will also grow accustomed to your new permanent teeth. Once we note that the denture is firmly set, you can then use your dentures to eat your regular diet.
Dental implants have greatly upgraded dentures, they are more comfortable and give you the freedom to forget you have them.