Full Arch Dental Implant Treatment

The increasing popularity of this alternative to a full set of dentures

It is well known that in most medical fields, prevention is better than a cure. For many of us though, this is an ideal world that might require us to time travel to our younger years and tell ourselves how important it is to look after our teeth, perhaps much better than we actually did! Long term neglect is one of the main reasons why many of us suffer from tooth loss. It is not the only reason though and some things out of our control, such as accidents or side effects of medication or treatment can also result in this.

As we can’t yet time travel, some of us will inevitably arrive at the point where our teeth are in very poor health and may either fall out or need to be extracted. We are then left with a decision as to the best options available to us.

Leave or replace?

Although we may be tempted not to replace an individual missing tooth if it is not one that is visible, this isn’t a good idea for a number of reasons that we have discussed previously. Where multiple teeth, or a full arch are missing, it is highly likely that our Burton and Ashby patients will want to replace them. If you find yourself in this situation, the team at Alexandra Dental Care recommend that you consider the increasingly popular All On 4 tooth replacement option.

In order to have this treatment, you will need a prior consultation so that we can determine whether this is the most appropriate solution for you. If you still have a few teeth left on the affected arch, there may be other suitable alternatives. Alternatively, it may be preferable to extract these, especially if they are in poor health, and then replace the full arch with a new set of replacement teeth.

What is an All On 4?

This procedure is also sometimes referred to as ‘teeth in a day’. The reasons for this will become clear shortly. It is a procedure that involves the use of dental implants, but instead of replacing each tooth individually, a number of implants, often 4 but occasionally more depending on circumstances, are placed at strategic points in the jaw.  Once these are in place, a full bridge of teeth can be attached to replace all the missing teeth.

In just one day?

Yes; this is one of the reasons why this is becoming a common treatment in this type of situation. Whilst individual dental implants that are placed have to be allowed around 3 months to integrate with the bone in which they are situated, this isn’t always the case with an All On 4 treatment. The main reason for this is the special type of implants which are placed towards the rear of the mouth. These are specially designed and are placed at a carefully calculated angle into the jawbone. This provides excellent and immediate stability and often allows the bridge to be attached straight away. In some cases, patients can then leave our Swadlincote practice with a new set of teeth in just a single procedure.

Can I eat straight away?

One thing that sometimes deters people from having teeth implants is the need to be careful about what they eat for a few months afterwards. This is necessary to avoid putting the newly placed implant under undue stress and potentially cause it to fail. With an All On 4 procedure, you could, in theory, eat anything that you want straight away without damaging the implants.

We don’t recommend that you do this however. There will inevitably be some residual soreness from the procedure and having to bite hard food or chew excessively is likely to worsen this. You will also need a little time to adjust to having a full set of teeth, especially if they have been missing for some time. Although eating ‘normally’ may not harm the new implants, it will make life more comfortable for you if you eat softer foods for a little while to allow any residual discomfort to ease and to allow you to become accustomed to eating with a full set of teeth.

Can anyone have ‘all On 4’?

Providing that your face is fully developed, usually from late teens to early 20s, this procedure should be available to most people. Whilst bone quality and quantity is critical to the success of individual implant placements, this procedure can help to overcome any issues, largely due to the special implants that are placed towards the rear of the mouth. It will still be necessary for our Burton and Ashby patients to have a prior consultation with us to ensure that your mouth is healthy before the treatment commences. It will also provide you with an opportunity to ask any questions you might have and to discuss additional options such as having IV sedation if you are a nervous patient.

Whilst dentures and bridges still offer practical ways of replacing missing teeth, we believe that moderm implants offer the strength, longevity and practicalities that these don’t. If you would like to find out more about a full arch replacement of teeth, please call Alexandra Dental Care on 01283 216347 to arrange a free initial consultation. We look forward to seeing you!

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