How Is All-on-4 Different from Traditional Dental Implants?

The dilemma about replacing missing teeth is all too real. Do you go with bridges and crowns, dentures or perhaps dental implants? An estimated 3 million Americans have given the nod to dental implants, and each year about 500,000 Americans join their ranks.

You know that when it comes to replacing missing teeth dental implants are the gold standard for their comfort, convenience, natural appearance, and durability. They’re simply the ultimate do-over, except for one big thing – the time commitment.

Generally replacing missing teeth with dental implants takes about 6-12 months, but it doesn’t have to be that way. Think All-on-4®, says Dr. Marcano here at Orlando Center for Cosmetic Dentistry.

Traditional dental implants versus All-on-4 implants

All-on-4, sometimes called implant-supported dentures, is a specific type of dental implant that leverages all the benefits of dental implants, namely replacing missing teeth with surgically placed naturally looking prosthetics while removing the notable drawback – a lengthy treatment schedule.

In order to better understand the benefits of All-on-4 let’s take a deep dive into how traditional dental implants treatment typically plays out. The way it works is that if your dentist concludes that you have sufficient quality bone density to support implants the process begins with your provider surgically placing a titanium post for each missing tooth. Each post ultimately takes on the role your natural tooth’s roots once did by establishing a solid foundation in the jawbone.

Your dental provider sends you home with post-op recovery instructions and the time factor takes hold as the healing process begins. During the next few months or so the implants fuse to your jawbone and heal in place, a process called osseointegration.

Once the osseointegration process completes, you start the next step of the treatment schedule where your provider gathers all the data for your new prosthetic. Specifically, your dentist takes an impression of your teeth and mouth and does some color matching. All this data goes to a dental laboratory, which fabricates your custom crowns. Once the crowns come back from the lab your provider installs a crown on top of every implant to create your new artificial tooth.

Replaces an entire arch with four implants

As you may have guessed by its name, All-on-4 follows the general treatment plan as traditional dental implants, but instead of placing one titanium post for each missing tooth All-on-4 uses only four implants to replace an entire bottom or top arch.

Orlando Center for Cosmetic Dentistry personalizes each All-on-4 treatment plan. Once Dr. Marcano accesses and clears your suitability for the treatment, he uses advanced 3-D imaging to figure out the best placement for your dental implants.

Expedites healing time

In the case of All-on-4, the fact that your provider surgically places only four implants to replace an entire arch instead of up to eight implants that the traditional process requires means two very important things – your body can heal and recover quicker, thereby expediting the treatment schedule. 

Lowers risk of infection and complications

As if replacing your missing teeth with permanent beautiful natural looking prosthetics in an expedited time frame wasn’t enough, the need for less surgical implants also translates into a lower risk for surgical complications and infections. No lengthy wait time and a reduced risk of infection and surgical complications? Sounds like a winning combination.

Dr. Marcano and the team at Orlando Center for Cosmetic Dentistry also offer patients a variation on All-on-4 called All-on-6® dental implants. With this treatment option, Dr. Marcano places four implants at the front of your jaw and two implants at the back to replace an entire arch of missing teeth.

The back of the jaw implants are positioned at an angle to ultimately provide maximum stability. If you only need to replace one tooth Orlando Center for Cosmetic Dentistry offers a one-and-done single appointment immediate load replacement option called Ultratooth®.

If you are missing teeth and would like to learn more about All-on-4 implants and our full menu of teeth replacement options, request a consultation at Orlando Center For Cosmetic Dentistry to find out what option is right for you. Click the online booking tool or call or text the office today.