Until the innovation of All on 4 implants, one of the biggest obstacles in the way of patients on a journey to oral rehabilitation was the loss of bone volume from the jaw as a result of tooth loss gone untreated. We all know that in order to stay fit and healthy, we need to exercise; it’s what keeps our muscles strong and vital. Well, the same applies to bone tissue! The tooth roots not only keep your pearly whites anchored in the jaw, but, through the natural forces associated with chewing and grinding, they also provide an important source of stimulation to the bone tissue. When a tooth is lost and left without a replacement, this stimulation is lost too and the underlying jaw bone begins to atrophy and waste away. And it is this loss of bone volume that results in that sunken and puckered appearance about the mouth we typically associate with denture-wearers and the elderly.

But the problems bone loss poses go far beyond the compromising of smile aesthetics; it can represent a serious obstacle to oral rehabilitation using dental implants… or at least this was almost always the case before the advent of All on 4 implants.

All on 4 implants have revolutionized the fields of fixed oral rehabilitation and dental implantology because they enable qualified prosthodontists and oral surgeons to replace a patient’s entire set of old and failing teeth in as little as a few hours, with a single surgery. And All on 4 Implants make this possible almost always without the need for bone grafting beforehand. So, how do All on 4 implants work? This implant protocol essentially consists of the placement of two titanium screws in the anterior (front) portion of the jaw, where the bone is more resistant to atrophy and so generally exists in a greater volume. Then, another two implants are inserted at an angle in the posterior (back) portion of the jaw. This precise angulation of the back All on 4 Implants ensures that they reap maximum support from the existing bone volume while avoiding damage to vital structures such as the nerve canal in the lower jaw and the sinus cavity in the upper.

Once the All on 4 Implants have been placed, a prosthodontist is immediately able to affix a fully customized prosthetic dental bridge to the abutments of the implants… and the procedure is complete! Through the careful and precise placement and angulation of only four dental implants, this protocol is able to provide edentulous (toothless) and near-edentulous patients with a comprehensive and permanent tooth replacement solution, almost always without the need for bone grafting surgery beforehand! This is highly desirable because bone grafting requires months of healing; even up to one year before the jaw is ready to receive implants. Furthermore, it is an expensive, invasive and painful procedure for patients to go through.

Considering the amount of time, money and pain All on 4 Implants save patients from having to go through, it is no wonder this innovative tooth replacement technique is being heralded as one of the most important breakthroughs to have been made in dental science in recent decades! With All on 4 implants, you can say goodbye to the long road to oral rehabilitation!