This article first appeared in the October 2013 issue of Ezyhealth magazine. We have reproduced it for the information of those of you who missed it when it was published.
Dental implants have long been a predictable option to replace full or partially missing teeth. Typically, when a fully (or almost) edentulous (no teeth at all) patient comes in for a consultation, dental specialists will examine and assess whether replacing the missing teeth with dental implants is the best treatment option.
Patients opting for a dental implant procedure will need sufficient bone in their jaw so that the bone foundation is strong enough to hold and support the implant. If the patient does not have enough bone, a procedure called bone grafting or bone augmentation will be required before the placement of dental implants can proceed. The waiting time for healing typically ranges from three to six months.
Latest Streamlined Dental Implant Procedure
The All-on-4™ Dental Implant procedure means four implants in edentulous jaws, providing a secure and optimal support for an implant bridge (even with minimum bone volume).
As seen from the illustration, the first and fourth implants are tilted at a certain angle to maximise the use of available bone. This unique placement of the implants is the key reason on why patients with insufficient bone volume may still proceed with dental implant treatment without going through the downtime of a bone grafting procedure.
Benefits of the Procedure
The All-on-4™ Procedure is an efficient treatment for those who are missing all their teeth on either jaw, or patients who are at risk for losing all their teeth. This dental implant procedure allows immediate loading after the surgery and enables the patient to have teeth almost immediately.
The benefit of the angled implant reduces the need for bone grafting by maximising the use of the available bone. This unique design also attributes to support immediate loading. Most importantly, it reduces the downtime for patients and the overall treatment fee. The All-on-4™ Procedure is a simple surgical and prosthetic procedure which results in equally high aesthetics and function for the patients.
The key benefits of the All-on-4™ Procedure are as follows:
- Minimally Invasive Surgery – This procedure allows patients with minimum bone volume to opt for dental implant procedure without going through bone grafting procedure
- Shortened Treatment Time – It is possible to go from tooth loss to having functional and esthetic teeth in one treatment session
- Greater Patient Comfort – The surgery is generally patient-friendly with minimised surgical trauma. Patients can have teeth immediately and resume their normal activities
A Practical Solution that Works
The All-on-4™ treatment option offers a practical solution for those faced with the limitations of using dentures. Some of the drawbacks for denture use include discomfort, inconvenience, instability, chewing difficulties, anxiety about the dentures falling out at inappropriate times, and the inability to properly taste and enjoy food.
In summary, All-on-4™ Procedure provides a clinical solution that maximises the use of available bone while giving comprehensive and highly aesthetic prosthetics for the patient as a result. Best of all, this procedure comes with good clinical outcomes. Patients get to choose between a fixed denture (one with highest durability and chewing function, but cannot be removed) or a removable denture (can be removed for easy cleaning).
