This article explains how the “All on 4TM” dental implant protocol works and how it can give patients new teeth in as little as a single dental appointment of a few hours only.

Getting a brand new set of fixed, non-removable, functional and aesthetic teeth in a single day is now made possible thanks to the breakthrough dental implant protocol that is gaining increasing attention (and praise!) from the world. The procedure is called the All on 4 Implants and it is the innovation of renowned European implantologist, Dr. Paulo Malo.

Periodontal (gum) disease is perhaps the greatest causes of rampant tooth loss and edentulism (not having a single original adult tooth left). This nasty disease, which is wholly preventable, affects people of all ages and especially those in their late adulthood. The disease itself is characterized by a persistent bacterial infection of the gums surrounding the teeth and the underlying jaw bone.

Patients presenting with severe periodontal disease were formerly often not considered to be ideal candidates for dental implants, due to a significant amount of bone loss.  But the development of advanced techniques for disease treatment as well as the introduction of the “All on 4TM” has thankfully changed this. Moreover, this dental implant protocol makes fixed oral rehabilitation possible in as little as a single day, with a single surgery!

How “All on FourTM” Implants Make Teeth in One Day a Reality

Bone volume loss is caused by atrophy, which is a result of tooth loss, and it is one of the biggest hurdles in the path of fixed oral rehabilitation. In order for an oral surgeon to offer a dental implant as a viable tooth replacement solution, there needs to be sufficient bone volume in the jaw to provide it with the support and stability it needs to heal successfully. Patients who suffer from periodontal disease and/or have worn dentures for many years will have lost a fair amount of their healthy bone volume to atrophy and as a result, are frequently told that they are not candidates for traditional dental implant procedures.

Bone grafting surgery can be done to augment and encourage the growth of healthy hard tissue in the jaw, but this procedure is very invasive and so can be quite traumatic for the patient. It’s also costly and requires several months of healing before the jaw is strong enough to accept dental implants. All on 4 dental implants were specifically designed to bypass this traditional problem, even in patients who present with a good degree of bone volume loss in the jaw.

Through the careful and precise location and angulation of only four dental implants per jaw, the “All on 4TM” is able to provide support for a full set of non-removable (fixed) customized prosthetic teeth, almost always without the need for bone grafting first:

• Two dental implants are placed in the posterior (back) portion of the jaw at a very precise angle, which not only enables the implant to reap maximum support from the jaw, but also to avoid damaging vital oral structures, such as the nerve canal in the lower jaw and sinus cavity in the upper jaw.

• Another two dental implants are placed in the anterior (front) portion of the jaw where there naturally exists a greater volume of atrophy-resistant bone tissue.

• Together, these four implants provide ample support for a dental bridge without the expense, time and pain necessary for bone grafting. The results of the differences between “All on 4TM” dental implants and traditional techniques are minimal post-operative discomfort, a low risk of complications and a much, much shorter journey to oral rehabilitation of only a single day!