Developments in Dental Implants: All-on-4 Procedure
For a patient who is missing a tooth or a number of teeth, dental implants are an obvious choice. This is because implants allow the dental patient to talk and eat normally as well as restoring the lost glamour of their smile.
When dental implants are recommended
For a dental patient with a missing tooth, a dental implant is perfect. The implant is made of a porcelain crown fitted on to some titanium post. The implant process allows the artificial tooth to blend perfectly with the natural teeth in the mouth of a patient.
Importance of dental implants
A gap in the mouth occasioned by some missing tooth can alter the health of the jaw, the bite, speech pattern, and eating behavior. It could even affect the way your mouth is shaped while smiling. With a dental implant, all these problems can be rectified.
The process of getting dental implants
The dentist will first take the mold of the missing teeth and the gum. Afterward, they create porcelain crowns and titanium screws that match the color, shape, and size of the natural tooth. The process of healing could take up to six months. This is because the jawbone has to grow, develop, and heal around the new implant.
Technological innovation in dental implants
Technological innovation has taken over in dentistry. Most people imagine that dentistry is still at the same place it was twenty years ago. Well, a lot has changed since then. The rate of success in dental procedures today is near perfect. Smaller implants with less pain, minimal invasion, and faster healing processes define dentistry today.
Could dental implants be used to replace an entire arch of teeth?
It is not recommended to have singular implants as a replacement for all the missing teeth in an arch. There is a better solution for such a situation. A new technology known as all-on-4 is a contemporary method used to replace teeth on either side of the jaw. The whole arch is anchored on four secure posts that are smaller than with traditional implants. This technology has allowed patients to walk into a dentist premise without teeth and walk out of the premise with all of them.
All-on-4 procedure
This is an advanced modern dental surgical process that applies specially designed implants for the purpose of providing strong anchorage for teeth replacement. The process provides a wholesome replacement for lost teeth within a single dentist appointment. The dental bridge is customized and fixed. The procedure will transform the toothless gum into an array of beauty.
Difference between all-on-4 procedure and dentures
Dentures rely on gum tissue for anchorage. This often causes loss of bone tissue, therefore, causing instability and discomfort. People who wear dentures can often only eat soft foods. For the all-on-4 dental implants, the process yields a permanent arch of teeth which feel and look like the natural teeth. The new teeth are stable and comfortable compared to dentures.
All on 4 benefits
- Minimal or absence of bone grafting
- Minimally invasive dental procedure
- Requires a single appointment with the dentist
- An immediate solution that is permanent