Dental implants are surgically implanted into your jawbone. Some patients, however, no longer have enough jawbone to adequately support the implant. When that happens, the traditional treatment has been bone grafting.
To find a way around the bone grafting procedure, in the late 1990s Dr. Paulo Maló from Portugal developed the “All-on-4” technique. This method uses highly angled implants in only the anterior part of the jaw. The rationale is that in most people who have lost all their teeth, they usually first lost teeth in the back of their mouth, so that is where there is more bone resorption. The implants are thus placed in the denser bone of the anterior lower jaw. And with the implants placed at varying angles, there is more resistance to dislodging the implants, making the result more stable and allowing for the use of shorter implants.
Teeth in a Day
One of the advantages to this technique is that you can have what is called immediate loading of the implant. Usually no stress can be placed on the implant for several months while it integrates with the jawbone. However, with the All-on-4 technique, you can leave the procedure that day with a provisional denture attached to the implants. This is why “Teeth in a Day” is often used to describe this technique.
A Concern with the All-on-4 Technique
One concern with this technique is that if one of the four implants should fail at some point, the stability of the entire case is threatened and all of the work could need to be re-done. In patients where this may be a concern, an option is to place six angled implants instead of four, the All-on-6 variation.
If you’re in need of dental implants, you may call our office to schedule an appointment or click here to request an appointment online. Dr. Burba will go over your case and help determine the best treatment option for you.