All-On-4 Dental Implants: What are they, how do they work, who might benefit from them?

All-On-4 Dental Implants are a type of dental implant where instead of having to use bone grafting, four titanium screws are placed in the jawbone and act as “anchors” for replacement teeth to be attached on top of them. These anchors attach to either dentures or dental crowns, which will restore your smile almost immediately following the surgery with little discomfort. The procedure is useful when patients have lost all their natural teeth due to periodontal disease or an accident but want immediate results without prolonged treatment times that often accompany more traditional implants procedures that require bone grafts, usually to rebuild jawbone that has been lost from gum disease. Instead of traditional implants where the bone is rebuilt around the metal post/screw, “All-On-4” uses a titanium screw as a “root” and attaches a dental crown to it. 

The All-On-4 procedure can replace up to four missing teeth immediately, depending on your comfort level with the process and your individual circumstances. It is mainly used for patients who have lost all their natural teeth due to periodontal (gum) disease or an accident such as a sports-related injury involving the face and jaws (e.g., fractures). Still, it can also be used in some instances if people want immediate results without prolonged treatment times that often accompany more traditional implants procedures that require bone grafts, usually to rebuild jawbone that has been lost from gum disease. 

All-On-4 is a new way of thinking about dental implants. It more closely mimics the natural process of tooth loss and replacement as opposed to the more traditional approach of harvesting one’s bone from somewhere else in the body, then inserting it into your mouth where it fuses with the titanium post/screw that acts as an artificial root for your replacement teeth before they are attached to its top. In some cases, people who choose All-On-4 Dental Implants may do so because they have had some trouble with other types or brands of more traditional dental implants (e.g., those from “big-name” implant companies), which can cause pain or other dental implant problems, or have had no success with them at all. 

However, All-On-4 Dental Implants are not for everyone. Depending on your circumstances, you may be a perfect candidate for All-On-4 implants if you are healthy enough to undergo surgery, don’t smoke (because smoking inhibits blood-clotting), and do not have heart disease or other health conditions, including diabetes that might make it more dangerous/challenging for the surgeon to perform the procedure. Suppose you are missing many teeth versus just one or two. In that case, this implantation method might also be suitable for you because it allows multiple replacement teeth to be inserted immediately after surgery instead of months later during a second appointment. Additionally, because All-On-4 implants require less time to install than traditional implants (around 1-2 hours versus 3-4 hours for more traditional dental implant procedures), you can go home that same day instead of staying in the hospital for days at a time while waiting for your body’s natural bone grafting process to do its work. 

However, this implantation method may not suit you if you want immediate results but are unable or unwilling to undergo surgery. If so, other types of dental implants might better suit your needs/wishes. Also, keep in mind that people with health conditions including heart disease and diabetes may have an increased risk of complications during the All-On-4 procedure because their bodies are already fragile due to other medical issues. Furthermore, All-On-4 is not an appropriate procedure for teenagers because their bones are still growing and could interfere with the stability of implants. 

Hopefully, this article has helped you better understand what All-On-4 Dental Implants are, how they work, who might benefit from them or use them in some cases, why it can be an excellent choice to have immediate results without prolonged treatment times under certain circumstances depending on your individual circumstances/situation/needs, etc.