Tuesday, August 16, 2011

Removable Dentures a Technology of the Past with the All-on-4 Dental Implant Protocol

This article provides a brief introduction to the ‘All-on-4’ technique and then proceeds to explore the benefits and advantages of this innovative tooth replacement protocol.


If you still struggle with the endless challenges and repeated costs associated with removable dentures, or ‘false teeth’ as they are colloquially known, then it’s time you learned about the ‘All-on-4’ dental implant protocol. With the ability to give you a new set of beautiful and non-removable teeth in as little as a single day, it is little wonder that All on 4 implants are being hailed as a breakthrough in fixed oral rehabilitation. But what really sets the All-on-4 apart from removable dentures is that it offers a long term solution to edentulism (not having any of your original adult teeth left) and not one that requires refitting every few years or so. Let’s take a closer look at this incredible technology…

All-on-4
Defining the All-on-4 Dental Implant Technique

Before the advent of the All-on-4 protocol in 1993, removable dentures offered patients that presented with advanced tooth loss and edentulism a passable way to eat and look as close to normal as possible. However, these archaic devices do nothing to promote the health of the underlying jaw bone, which gradually results in this vital tissue’s atrophy. Not only does this make it difficult for removable dentures to fit properly – requiring expensive refitting that eventually becomes impossible– but it also substantially changes the natural and youthful contours of the mouth and jaw, resulting in that aged appearance about the mouth we typically associated with the elderly and denture-wearers.

The All-on-4 dental implant protocol however – as the name suggests – with only four implants per jaw allows you to smile with confidence and eat the foods you enjoy. Because All on 4 implants replace the missing roots as well as the missing teeth, the jaw bone is kept healthy and alive, thus preventing its gradual deterioration. So, the All-on-4 protocol offers a comprehensive solution that almost always requires a single day, a single surgery and a single recovery period!

The Benefits and Advantages of the All-on-4 Dental Implant Protocol

If you have worn removable dentures for any length of time, you are more than familiar with the challenges and repeat expenses incurred by this archaic technology. Here’s how All on 4 implants could be the end to all of these crippling hassles:

All on 4 Implants
•A Beautiful Smile: False teeth carry extra mass to help keep them stabilized in the mouth. This mass – ‘flanges’ as they are called - applies pressure on your lips, causing them to appear stretched and thin. With All on 4 implants, the non-removable prosthetic dental bridge is permanently held in place using dental implants, so no flanges are required and the results look and feel completely natural. They are designed to support the lips giving them natural fullness and contours. Furthermore, your new set of beautiful teeth will not shift around or fall out!

•New Teeth in a Day: The All-on-4 technique can be completed in a single surgery, almost always without the need for lengthy, expensive and painful bone grafting procedures beforehand. In other words, patients are looking at being able to get new and beautiful teeth in a single day!

•Immediate Functionality: All on 4 implants can be immediately loaded, which enables patients to use them the same day they have them placed. In fact, the vast-majority of patients that have undergone the All-on-4 protocol enjoy a light dinner on the evening of the procedure and return to work within the following day.

These are really only a few of the advantages the ‘All-on-4’ protocol brings to patients in need of complete oral rehabilitation. In essence, they give you a second chance at a beautiful, functional smile. Removing the stigma of unattractive, missing teeth while restoring your self confidence and providing professional and social opportunities that you thought were gone. If you are tired of your removable dentures and the endless hassles they cause you, then perhaps it’s time you found out more about All on 4 implants and how they can vastly improve upon your quality of life!

Tuesday, August 9, 2011

Frequently Asked Questions About All on Four Implants, PART 1



This article, part 1 of 2, provides the answers to some of the questions most frequently asked about the All-on-4 dental implant protocol.

All on Four implants have taken the fields of implant dentistry and fixed oral rehabilitation by storm. Where removable dentures were once considered to be the most sophisticated solution to rampant tooth loss and edentulism (not having any of your original adult teeth left), All on Four implants have stepped up to the very threshold of modern dentistry to assume the rightful title! With advantages such as instant smile aesthetics, immediate bite functionality and the preservation of one’s natural youthful facial contours, it’s no wonder the ‘All-on-4’ has been lauded as one of the most important breakthroughs to have been made in dentistry in recent decades. Here are some of the questions most frequently asked of dentists about All on Four implants. Whether you are either already edentulous or are facing an immediate future of edentulism, armed with this information, you can make the important decision that will see you enjoy a much improved quality of life; one without removable dentures!

Question 1 ~ What are All on Four Implants?

The ‘All-on-4’ essentially refers to a dental implant protocol… in other words, a technique used to guide the placement of dental implants. As the name suggests, this protocol only calls for the use of four dental implants to which a fully customized prosthetic dental bridge is permanently affixed. This bridge is carefully fabricated using molds of a patient’s teeth as well as CAT scan images and X-rays of the mouth and jaw. Once the prosthetic bridge has been attached to the four dental implants, the procedure is complete and the patient is free to return home!

Question 2 ~ What makes All on Four implants more desirable than removable dentures?

All on Four implants provide a non-removable tooth replacement solution for those in need of a new set of teeth. This allows for the following benefits:
  • The ‘All-on-4’ prosthetic bridge cannot shift around or accidentally fall out
  • It does not require removal for cleaning and is in fact looked after just like natural teeth,
  • The ‘All-on-4’ does not call for additional expenses such as messy adhesives, cleaning pastes, anesthetic gels and refitting every few years or so.
Furthermore, with All on Four implants, the prosthetic bridge is fabricated to fit the natural contours of the gums and underlying jaw bone ridge, making it feel natural and not like some uncomfortable and foreign piece of plastic. Because the ‘All-on-4’ prosthetic is supported entirely by dental implants, and not by the soft tissues of the mouth as is the case with removable dentures, it doesn’t cause any pain, discomfort or the development of sores that are not allowed to heal. All on Four implants do not harbor bacteria, causing bad breath, nor do they impede speech, taste and one’s ability to eat all the foods they enjoy.

Stay tuned for the next installment of this two part blog series to find out more about All on Four implants and the difference they could make to your quality of life.




Monday, August 1, 2011

All on Four Dental Implants in Houston, Texas: Innovative Technique for Complete Oral Rehabilitation, PART 2

This article, part 2 of 2, explores the key differences between the ‘All-on-4’ dental implant protocol and removable dentures as techniques for tooth replacement.


All on Four Dental Implants Houston

In our previous article post, we began exploring some of the key differences between All on 4 implants and removable dentures, or false teeth. In this, the second installment, we will continue to describe how All on Four dental implants in Houston offer a far more sophisticated, long term, aesthetic and comfortable solution for edentulous (not having any of their original adult teeth left) and near edentulous patients. So, if you are tired of struggling with the endless challenges and repeated expenses associated with removable dentures, then you should know that All on Four dental implants in Houston offer a far more sophisticated alternative.



All on Four Dental Implants Houston

All on 4 Implants: No Breaking, Cracking or Need for Future Restorative Work

When traditional dentures become cracked or broken, chewing, swallowing and talking can be painful and embarrassing. Since the fully customized prosthetic dental bridge that is affixed to the All on 4 implants is not temporary and offers a permanent solution, there are no individual parts or components that are expected to fail. This also means that patients are not likely to experience as much future cost for repair and replacement once they have received All on Four dental implants in Houston.

All on Four Dental Implants in Houston: A Convenient and Comfortable Solution

All on Four dental implants in Houston offer specially-designed implants that allow for the immediate attachment of replacement teeth. Since there is almost always no need for bone grafting surgery with All on 4 implants, and with only four implants required instead of six, eight or even ten per jaw, patients are able to leave the implant facility with a full set of replacement teeth in only one day, in a single surgery. This is what also makes the cost of All on 4 implants so incredibly economical. Without the need for multiple surgeries, as many as 20 implants, lengthy recovery periods and time off from work, patients are able to get back their oral health, functionality and aesthetics with a one-time treatment, and at a cost that won't break the bank.

All on 4 implants

After one or two initial visits for radiographs, CAT scans and dental impressions, patients are able to come in to the implant facility in the morning with irreparably damaged, decayed or missing teeth. Thanks to All on Four dental implants in Houston, patients can leave in the afternoon on the same day with a beautiful set of non-removable, functional teeth and with an exquisite, new smile! With traditional dentures, the time involved in restoring the mouth to semi-normal function, including bone grafts and implants, can last as long as eighteen months, most of which is spent with an ill-fitting temporary mouthpiece that looks and feels unnatural.

All on Four dental implants in Houston: A Final Note

All on Four dental implants in Houston offers a perfect solution for the patient seeking an alternative to temporary and unreliable prosthetic dentures. Not only does this protocol provide a one-time treatment, but its costs are substantially lower than traditional dental implant techniques. For the best aesthetic, functional, comfortable and long term results, All on Four dental implants in Houston offers solutions befitting of our advanced 21st Century technology.