All-on-4 Vs Traditional Dental Implants

Missing teeth is a common problem among many adults due to dietary and lifestyle changes. Missing teeth can be a huge problem since they can cause difficulty chewing, biting, speaking, and even hinder you from smiling confidently.

However, there are various techniques available to replace missing teeth. At Dental Partners of Brookline, we offer both All-on-4 Dental Implants treatment and traditional dental implants. Both implants are different and vary when it comes to cost. If you have missing teeth, book an appointment with our dentist in Brookline to determine the best teeth replacement option.

Traditional dental implants

Traditional implants replace an individual tooth or several teeth. They include single tooth implants implanted directly into the jaw, bone grafting to replace jaw bone, and overdentures to replace teeth.

Traditional implants are invasive and take close to a year to be fully completed. They require at least two surgeries to be successful. Also, they involve implanting each tooth individually.

Implants are essential when you have one or several missing teeth since they provide a permanent solution.

What are All-on-4 Dental Implants?

All-on-4 dental implants are a modern technique dentists use to replace missing teeth, especially when you have lost most of your teeth. The loss of teeth may be caused by an infection or accident. All-on-4 dental implants can be performed on either the lower or upper arch. This method uses only four implants to replace the whole arc of teeth and thus the iconic name – All-on-4 dental implants.

All-on-4 Dental Implant procedures

In instances of tooth loss, dentists recommend All-on-4. When you visit a dental clinic, the dentist or oral surgeon first extracts the remaining teeth, if there are any. Once tooth extraction is successful, the dentist surgically places four implants on your jaw bone. The four implants are strategically placed to firmly hold the whole arc of teeth.

Once the abutments heal, the entire arc-fixed bridge is screwed in place. The implanted abutment bonds with the bone, allowing the occlusion’s pressure to spread and distribute among the four implants. The technique is efficient and very reliable.

Why Choose All-on-4 over Traditional Dental Implants?

When choosing All-on-4 over traditional dental implants, you should ask a professional dentist to help you understand the pros and cons of each technique. Even so, All-on-4 dental implants are recommended for the following reasons:

• All-on-4 is much faster as compared to the slow traditional implants. The All-on-4 usually takes roughly 2-3 days. Traditional implants require bone grafting and thus take an extremely long time to heal – 12 months upwards. All-on-4 implants recovery time is also faster.
• Traditional implants are typically more expensive. In most cases, traditional implants require bone grafting due to bone loss. Bone grafting is a complex process and is expensive. Also, the cost spikes because traditional implants require several individual implants.
• All-on-4 is less invasive. It uses only four implants compared to the traditional technique which requires four to eight implants to yield the same result.
• Bone grafting is not required with All-on-4. The dentist places the implants on the areas where the bone density of your jawbone is high. Traditional implants require bone grafting since several implants will be placed along the whole dental arch.
• If your teeth loss involves an entire arch, All-on-4 is the way to go. It replaces the whole arch with only four implants.
• All-on-4 implant procedure requires fewer appointments. You only need half as many appointments as with the traditional implants.
• The All-on-4 implants improve your smile since they look very natural. They can be shaped to enhance the visual appeal of your smile.

Which one should you choose?

Choosing All-on-4 and traditional implants depends on various factors such as the number of teeth, location, and bone density. In some cases, traditional implants are ideal, while All-On-4 is the solution in other situations.

For instance, a traditional implant will serve you well if you have a single missing tooth. All-on-4 will help you best if you have missing all the teeth of your upper or lower jaw.