All-on-4 dental implants are a life-changing treatment that helps you regain your beautiful smile. It is a patient-friendly, proven complete arch rehabilitation procedure. A dental implant surgery not only assists you in reconstructing your teeth but also offers you a good aesthetic look. 

What will happen if all of your teeth fall? In this scenario, All-on-4 dental implant surgery will come into the picture. It is cost-efficient, lasts long, and is a minimal invasion method that offers you the best results.

Now, what are All-on-4 dental implants?

All-on-4 dental implants imply every tooth braced on four dental implants. It is a surgical procedure utilized to rehabilitate decayed teeth, broken teeth, or even complete toothlessness. An all-on-4 dental implant is one of the widely used options for getting your dentures. Here the four implants that have been mounted offer support to the complete fixed prosthesis having 10-14 teeth that include both upper and lower arches of the tooth. 

The whole procedure includes placing four pairs of titanium posts into your jawbone. Each of the dental implants that will be positioned involves inserting a small titanium screw into the bone under gums. Then your dental surgeon will surgically place all four titanium posts into the jawbone, which acts as a strong anchor. After that, a permanent denture is kept like those important anchors to offer a flawless look in your whole mouth.

When will you require an All-on-4 dental implant?

When you have lost all teeth, it creates a lot of problems like feeling embarrassed while smiling, difficulty chewing, digestion problems, facing difficulty while eating, facial muscles lose elasticity due to reduction in the vertical height and speech problems. If your teeth are getting decayed because of gum disease or you are suffering from loss of bone in your jaw area, then All-on-4 dental implants are one of the best procedures you can rely on. This helps in prohibiting a person from getting vertical dental implants. 

Now let's see how the whole procedure is carried out?

The surgical process is done under the effect of local anesthesia so that the patient will not feel any pain during the whole process. But if there is jaw bone loss, bone grafting is done to decrease the risk of fracture or reconstruction of the jaw bone.

The dental surgeons might remove remaining other teeth if it's not healthy or a foci for infections, so that there is room for the dental implants. Then four dental implants are placed into the jawbone that acts like a pillar for keeping the prosthetic teeth safe. Two implants to be placed at the back of your mouth are angled 30-45 degrees from the biting plane. Another two implants are positioned in the upper jaw in the front of the maxillary sinus and two implants in the lower in front of the mental nerve.

All four dental implants are kept at a point where the density of the bone is high. Once dental implants are fixed, an immediate complete denture is placed on the implants temporarily. Then finally, it is replaced with a full, customized fabricated denture after the denture heals completely. Other than titanium, some other materials inserted as implants are acrylic fused to titanium, porcelain loaded to a cobalt-chromium frame, and monolithic zirconia.

What benefits do you get from All-on-4 dental implants?

There are numerous benefits of All-on-4 dental implants. Some of them are:

• The whole process needs minimal invasion.
• It offers a natural look when compared to single denture replacements.
• There is no risk of slipping or shifting.
• Offers an aligned look with nearby natural teeth
• The whole method is fast and reliable and offers the best arch to your smile.
• With All on 4 dental implants, only four implants in each jaw will be placed, so less cost with an efficient treatment method.
• It is one of the best options for those who have lost all teeth or who have very few teeth left.
• Enhanced quality of life for the patient because of improved aesthetics, speech, self-esteem, and sense.
• The implanted prosthetics stay there permanently.

Recovery and care of All-in-4 dental implant

After the All-in-4 dental implant procedure, your doctor will prescribe you some pain medications for about 2-3 days to deal with the pain that might occur after the surgery. There might also be a little swelling, which lasts about 2-5 days. If there is no swelling, the patient can resume normal activities after 1-3 days.

Complete healing will take 2-4 months, and during this healing period, your doctor might ask you to carry out the following things.

• Take good care of your dental implant
• It would help if you avoided smoking 
• Rinse your mouth with saltwater to avoid infection
• Try to consume soft food
• Avoid all kinds of exercises
• Use a soft brush and move your brush in a circular motion to clean your teeth.

How long will these All-on-4 dental implants last?

The longevity of all-on- dental implants is based on various factors such as the kind of material that is being used, daily maintenance, and perfect hygiene. All of these factors help in deciding how durable your All-on-4 dental implants are. With proper care, they will last many years.

Proper care involves proper cleaning.

Cleaning of your dental implants is very important to prohibit all sorts of infections of those implants. Cleaning is the same as cleaning your natural teeth, but it might require extra effort and time. It is so because when you eat food, some food particles might get trapped between the implants surrounding the area. If you want to remove those trapped food particles, brush your teeth properly for about 2-3 minutes. Also, you must floss daily or use water floss to remove safely and in timely meetings with your dental doctor to keep your implants clean.

What is the cost of an All-on-4 dental implant?

The total cost of the All-on-4 dental implants is based on various aspects such as

• Number of teeth that needs replacement
• The kind of material that you select for implantation
• Doctors' fees, along with hospital and clinic charges
• The kind of insurance and whether it covers the implant cost.
• In general, the cost of an All-on-4 dental implant is between 1.8 lakh – 3.2 Lakh INR

Conclusion

An all-on-4 dental implant is a prosthodontic process that offers permanent, safe, and fixed or removable dentures with an option of same-day replacement for whole upper or lower teeth. If you have multiple missing teeth and dental implant surgery is on your mind, then the all-on-4 dental implant process is one of the best options that you can choose. To know more about the procedure, cost benefits, etc., you can consult a highly skilled dentist at MyDentalPlan.in both online and offline.

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About the Author:

Suprithi Choudhary, M.Pharm (Pharmacology) Medical Content writer

Suprithi is a Pharma Professional working as a medical content writer and previously worked as a Research Scientist and Senior Research Analyst

Education

• C.M Academy
• Attended the Panjab University- Chandigarh, Pharma post-graduate in Pharmacology

Special thanks to Dr Deepak Kulkarni, a dental surgeon with over 23 years of experience who proofread this blog. He graduated from the H.K.E's Dental College, Gulbarga, and has certifications in ACHS International Accreditation Education Plan; Advanced Rotary Endodontic - Restorative Continuum; and Leadership, Team Building and Customer Service Leadership from the Oscar Murphy International.