A: The answer to that is no. But, for patients who have complex dental issues and they’ve lost most of their teeth or they’re in dentures— All-on-Four is the last, best resort remaining. Meaning, people can still go into dentures and live a nice healthy life. However, it’s not the best option—of course, getting to the best option does come with some more expense. So, to answer it and say, “it’s the last resort,” absolutely not—there’s always choices and patients get to make those choices. We go through those choices with patients, however, it is the best last resort.
What Is All-On-Four?
If you really want to understand this amazing method for replacing teeth, you need to understand dental implants first. We’ve gone over it extensively before so let’s just give the quick and tidy answer in a nutshell. Basically, a dental implant is a biocompatible titanium screw that is implanted permanently into your jawbone. Once we set the implant, a life-like crown is attached for the most realistic prosthetic tooth available today.
Now, with All-On-Four, things get a bit more advanced by becoming much simpler—confused, yet? Let us explain, with this procedure you don’t need an implant for every single tooth. You simply need four implants on top and four on the bottom. Yes, just four dental implants for each arch and that’s all it takes.
That is because All-On-Four is a modular method of dental prosthetics—it’s a full denture affixed to just four implants. The beauty of this procedure like all dental implants is that it fuses to your jawbone, preserving it for life. No bone deterioration or facial structure changes, bite issues—none of that. Your new teeth are permanent and will last a lifetime.
That’s the beauty of the all-on-four. And because the implant is made of titanium, it has the unique ability to fuse to living bone and function as part of it. So eventually, the dental implant becomes part of the jawbone and serves as a strong, long-lasting foundation for your new teeth.
Best In Houston All-On-Four Procedures
Comprehensive Dental Group of Houston is the best provider in the Houston area for this remarkable procedure. Dr. Hanna is a leader in the dental implant procedure and has performed over 2,000 successful procedures to date. With a support staff that has a combined portfolio of experience of over four decades in dentistry—you are in safe hands.
All-On-Four, due to its unique method of implantation, is a process that is easily completed in one single visit for most patients. It’s a procedure that most patient’s regard as minimal in pain and often return to work the following day. In fact, the list of the benefits All-On-Four offers can easily fill a small book, but the most common benefits are:
- In And Out In A Day
- Replaces All Teeth At Once
- Looks, Feels And Functions Just Like Natural Teeth
- Fixed, Permanent Placement
- Does Not Impact Diet
- Maintains Jawbone Integrity
- Best Overall, Long-Term Value
All-On-Four Dental Implants Are The Best Option
If you have missing teeth and struggling with daily life using dentures— All-on-Four is for you! It is by far the most optimal permanent solution for missing teeth. Whether you are missing all or just most of your teeth, choosing All-on-Four will change your life.
Listen, losing your teeth is a traumatic experience in and of itself, but over 25 million adults share that struggle. You aren’t alone and shouldn’t feel embarrassed about the situation. What you can do is begin to feel better about yourself with the All-on-Four procedure.
Because of this new technology, you don’t need to settle for the discomfort and anxiety of denture slippage or speech issues. With the All-on-Four dental implant procedure, you will preserve your jawbone, facial structure, and normalcy of life.
All-On-4 Vs. Traditional Dentures
The fact of the matter is—dentures only solve part of the problem of missing teeth, and not in the best way possible. The problem with dentures is that it is not a permanent, fixed solution—so it’s not a natural fit or feel. Most patients have trouble speaking normally, cannot eat certain foods, and their jawbone begins to soften. All of these problems combined together lead many patients to regret opting for dentures instead of All-on-Four. Most often, people choose dentures because of the lower initial cost—but there are two major caveats to consider.
Uncomfortable
While All-On-Four feels no different than your natural teeth and doesn’t impair eating or speaking—dentures are quite the opposite. Dentures are not a fixed 1:1 replacement like implants are. This means that while it is a molded fit, it goes on top of the gums so there are some spacing issues. Plus, because they are removable, they can shift, slip out while speaking or begin to hurt. Dental implants feel no different than regular teeth and there is no adjustment needed.
Dentures can also cause blisters in the mouth due to the prosthesis moving and shifting in the mouth. These can be very painful and even become infected leading to more oral health issues. As if the discomfort wasn’t enough, these denture sores often lead to not wearing dentures due to the pain.
You just don’t have comfort issues with All-on-Four—it really is a seamless transition.
Need Regular Adjustment Or Replacement
The problem with dentures as a long-term solution is that they just aren’t a long-term solution. The reason being is because dentures do not stimulate the jawbone. Therefore, it becomes soft and deteriorates over time. When this softening happens it changes the shape of your mouth and causes dentures not to fit properly anymore.
When this happens, you can either try and get the dentures adjusted which will cost you more money. However, often they are so out of proportion that they need to replaced which is quite a bit more in cost. On average most dentures need to be replaced every 5-7 years for optimal fitment—that begins to add up. In fact, recent studies show that depending on the dentures—they can cost as much as implants in the long-run.
Bottom line, when comparing dentures to implants solely on cost, consider the actual cost of ownership, not just the initial investment. Does All-on-Four cost more upfront? Yes, but it’s a one-time investment that will outlive most patients while preserving your jawbone. You can’t really quantify the immeasurable value of that benefit.
What To Expect With The All-On-Four Procedure
At Comprehensive Dental Group, most of our patients with a healthy jawbone can expect to have a new smile in one visit. Naturally, some patients may have lost too much of their jawbone and need bone grafts or other complications. In complex cases, it may require two visits to properly prepare for this revolutionary procedure.
Now, even though you may walk out of here with a new smile in a single visit, you must realize the process itself is not over. Healing is the final process and proper care and caution must be taken to allow full healing. The implants placed into your jawbone need time to fully fuse to your existing jawbone making them strong as normal teeth.
Dr. Hanna will discuss that timetable with you based on the surgery, condition of your jawbone and other factors. You will come back for a couple of interval follow-up visits to check on the healing process. These follow-up visits are crucial and must not be missed—we take every precaution to ensure success and need your help in doing so.
Is All-On-4 The Right Solution For Me?
For most patients, the answer is, “absolutely!” However, that does depend on some factors that must be determined as favorable with an examination. Jawbone integrity is the biggest factor—the longer you go with missing teeth, the more jawbone you may lose.
During your initial consultation, we will perform a scan to get an idea of jawbone health and designing your new smile. We will then design a custom treatment plan just for your specific needs and then schedule the actual procedure.
The first step in the procedure is you contacting our smile consultants to schedule a free consultation. It only takes a few minutes of your time and you can contact us here. Let us transform your life by giving you the smile back that you have missed!
