Am I A Candidate For All-On-4 Dental Implants?
Am I A Candidate For All-On-4 Dental Implants in Ancaster, ON?
If you’re planning to restore your missing smile with All-On-4, you should be confident that you’re the right fit.
If you’ve had all of your teeth removed, it may seem nerve-wracking or even intimidating to find the best replacement for a complete smile. Dentures are all well and good, but they come with their downsides. They’re not fixed in place and need to be taken out before going to bed. They gradually stop fitting as well as they used to, and they typically need replacing every 5 to 7 years. And worst of all, they don’t prevent the jawbone loss that quickly occurs after a tooth is removed.
Without the stimulation from the tooth’s roots against the bone, the jaw starts shrinking. Patients can start feeling the effects within six weeks, and between a quarter to half of the original bone can have disappeared by the end of the year. Dentures directly rely on the shape of your gums and jaw to hold them in place. When dentures are first crafted, they slide into your mouth perfectly and comfortably stay put. However, your rapidly changing mouth gives you only a handful of years before your denture doesn’t fit like it should.
However, All-On-4 dental implants bypass all of the disadvantages of regular dentures. They are permanent and don’t need to be removed for cleaning or bedtime. And they also prevent post-tooth extraction jaw bone loss from ever appearing. Your smile stays healthier, and your new teeth can last for decades or even a lifetime longer without your jaw’s changing shape affecting their fit. You can also enjoy your speech staying clear and your mealtimes not turning into a struggle.
What does All-On-4 mean?
Traditional teeth implants only replace one tooth at a time by using a single implant and dental crown. However, All-On-4 secures all of your false teeth on 4 dental implants placed along the jaw. How does this work? Like regular implants, All-On-4 use three main elements to wholly replace your missing teeth: implants, abutments, and dental prosthesis.
Implant
A tooth implant is a titanium screw or post that’s surgically embedded in the jawbone and anchors your false teeth in place. It acts as the artificial root and fuses to the jawbone, providing the same pressure and stimulation your old teeth did to prevent post-extraction bone loss. Other alternatives like a dental bridge or denture rests on top of the gums, making dental and denture implants the only false teeth to keep the jaw fully intact and healthy.
Abutment
The abutment is a metal piece that connects the titanium implants to the final prosthesis. They are the metaphorical glue keeping your false teeth together. They can often be placed simultaneously with the implants to cut down the dental implant process by two to four weeks.
Prosthesis
Traditional implants use only a single dental crown to act as the cap to restore only a single tooth. However, All-On-4 screws a modified complete denture into the four implants and abutments along the jaw to restore a full mouth of missing teeth simultaneously. With a talented dentist, these false teeth can perfectly repair your old smile’s bite, both in look and function.
What is the success rate of dental implants? Like other types of dental implants, All-On-4 has an incredibly high success rate—between 95 and 98%. This is because our dental team doesn’t rush the process, especially when it comes to patients’ initial consultation. The dental implant procedure isn’t completed in a single day but is spread out along multiple months, visits, and oral surgeries. Many treatments that fail do so within the first year because the patient wasn’t the best fit for teeth implants.
We want to guarantee that your denture implants last well beyond the time it takes to install them. Your dentist will need to ensure that your treatment will be successful to approve your application. Excellent candidates must:
- Be in good general health
- Have sufficient jawbone mass
- Be patient
One of the most crucial elements for an implant’s success is having enough of a jaw foundation. Just as dental implants can maintain your jaw, they depend on it too. Since implants are inserted into the bone, a solid base must both support and integrate securely with the implants. If patients wait too long after extraction or have a previous prosthetic, they may have already experienced significant bone loss. This is also common with patients with a history of severe periodontal disease, which can cause extensive bone loss to loosen teeth enough to fall out.
Patience is also a core trait patients should have. Dental implants can take between 6 months to over a year to complete, and the All-On-4 process can’t be rushed. From the implant surgery to your final prosthesis fitting, you must give each step of the process enough time to heal in-between visits. Otherwise, you risk your prosthetic failing. For example, it takes four to six months for the implants to fuse to the jaw fully in a process called osseointegration. If you move onto the next step before this fusion is complete, the implant can become loose and slip.
What Happens If You Don’t Have Enough Bone For Dental Implants?
While the treatment’s success depends on having enough of a supportive jawbone base, you’re not barred from implants entirely if you’ve already lost too much bone. This is a prevalent problem after tooth extraction, especially with patients missing all of their teeth rather than just one or two of them. The more teeth that you’re missing, the faster your post-extraction bone loss progresses. Depending on how much the jaw has already shrunk, a dentist may recommend one of two options: dental bone grafts or mini dental implants.
Dental Bone Graft
One of the most common ways to deal with insufficient bone is with a bone graft. Bone grafts allow our dentists to surgically replace any missing bone with transplanted hard tissues. As the mouth heals in the following few months, these grafted tissues integrate with the old ones and promote brand new, natural bone to grow. What material is used for dental bone grafts? There are four main sources for bone graft tissues:
- Yourself, using bone taken from the back of the jaw
- A human donor, often a cadaver
- An animal, like a pig or cow
- Synthetic material, like calcium phosphate
There are three types of bone grafts: socket, block bone, and sinus lift. Socket grafts are often performed immediately following teeth extraction to prevent immediate bone loss that might occur. Block bone grafts use a block of bone, usually from your jaw’s rear by the wisdom teeth, when there is already significant bone loss present. Sinus lift grafts are performed when the upper jaw needs an implant to ensure the implant has enough support and the sinuses are where they should be.
How Much Do Dental Implants Cost?
Full mouth dental implants have a higher price than standard dentures. However, their longevity and dental health benefits make them an incredibly valuable investment worth the price and wait. With All-On-4, your dental implant cost can vary depending on several factors:
- Cost of titanium teeth implants
- Cost of abutment
- Cost of denture or dental bridge prosthesis
- Whether bone grafting is required
- Cost of teeth extraction, if applicable
Unfortunately, while other teeth replacement options are often covered by dental insurance, implants of any kind usually aren’t. Some full coverage plans include them, but many of these only provide for part of the prosthesis’ cost, not the titanium implants or abutments. Our dental office wants to ensure our patients always have access to affordable dental care, whether it’s implants, cosmetic dentistry, or general dentistry work. We offer multiple in-office financing and payment options to make sure your visits are as easy and stress-free as possible.
To learn more about what dental implants and All-On-4 costs, request our free Dental Implant Pricing Guide by clicking here.
Are you excited to get your old, beautiful smile back with All-On-4 dental implants? The Smiling Dental team is here for you. To schedule a consultation with our skilled dentists, you can reach our Ancaster practice at 289-768-9905. We look forward to seeing you soon!
