Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery
Specialists in Dental Implants

Are you a Candidate for All-On-4?

Male patient in dental chair reviewing dental services with dentist

All-on-4® Treatment Concept dental implants allow a patient to replace an entire arch of teeth on just four titanium dental implant posts, hence the name. This treatment is meant for patients who have lost all or most of their teeth, and it’s a much more efficient (and cost-effective) option than replacing each tooth on its implant post.

Most people qualify for All-on-4 treatment, but there are a few limitations you should know about.

Good General Health

All-on-4 prosthetic teeth require dental implants, and dental implants require surgery, and surgery often requires anesthesia. Therefore, you need good overall health if you want to qualify for All-on-4 surgery.

Some medical conditions, like uncontrolled diabetes, can prevent you from undergoing the All-on-4 surgical procedure. If you’re on medications such as antidepressants or bisphosphonates (osteoporosis medications), that can raise the risk of the implants failing. Radiation therapy for the jaw will also make you ineligible if you had it recently or are set to have it.

Good Oral Health

If you are suffering from oral disease, such as gum disease, we will likely have to treat it before we can give you All-on-4 treatment. If you have a history of gum disease, you will have an increased risk of implant failure, but it won’t necessarily disqualify you from treatment.

Adequate Bone Mass

We will examine your jaw bone with a 3D CT scan to evaluate your bone structure. If you don’t have enough bone volume, you may need bone grafts or extra procedures before we can move forward with All-on-4.

Smoking

If you smoke, that can make your dental implants three times more likely to fail. At the very least, you will need to quit smoking for the period before and during the surgery as well as during the healing process. However, we strongly encourage patients to stop smoking completely.

Cost of All-on-4

All-on-4 allows you to replace an entire arch of teeth on four implants, as opposed to replacing every single tooth on an implant. As a result, All-on-4 is very cost-effective when placed side-by-side with other tooth replacement options. You also should not choose a treatment option solely because of its cost, but the lower price of All-on-4 is noteworthy.

Keep in mind, however, that All-on-4 is meant for people who have lost several teeth and thus is not the best option for everybody. However, it works incredibly well for people who have lost (or are faced with the loss of) several teeth when replacing them all is costly. This can happen if someone suffers from oral disease, jaw injury, or a collapsed bite. Opting for All-on-4 can get you a better deal along with high-quality results.

Commitment to Treatment

Getting teeth replaced is a big decision. All-on-4 dental implant bridges have the appearance, function, and feel of your normal teeth and you care for them almost the same way.

However, to undergo the procedure for All-on-4, you will need to come into our office quite a few times and commit to dietary and lifestyle changes, at least temporarily. If you think All-on-4 is the right choice for you, please call our office and set up a consultation.

For more information, please contact our office at (503) 446-6776.