Full Arch Immediately Loaded Implants Compared to the The All On Four concept

Question:

What is the difference between  a full arch immediately loaded implant supported teeth and the “All On Four”  Teeth?

Answer:

This question deals with Implants that are placed surgically and then the teeth are attached to them the day of the surgery or the day after.
This is in sharp contrast to the conventional way to restore implants, where the surgeon places the implants  and then the patient has to wait three to six months to allow the implants to fuse to the bone (a process called osseointegration).  After several months the implants can be restored.

Having to wait months before you can use them has been the most notable disadvantage of dental implants, so guidelines were designed by  dentists to put implants into function immediately after they were placed.  The “All On Four” technique was developed by Nobel Biocare and a Portuguese dentist, Dr. Paulo Malo in the 1990’s, and it uses four implants to support twelve teeth that are not removable by the patient.  The literature shows evidence supporting a good success rate of this method after several years in use.

Full arch immediately loaded implants have no restriction on the number of implants except by the amount of bone available to place implants.  It allows the dentist to over-engineer the case by placing a greater number of implants.  This insures that the prosthesis will continue to be functional in the event that one or two of the implants fail.  It also allows for smaller cantilevers and better distribution of forces in cases where forces are excessive such as bruxers and clenchers.

So the All On Four technique, in my opinion, is limited to cases with limited bone and limited financial funds.  I encourage patients that are considering a full arch rehabilitation with implants to get six implants in the mandible and eight implants in the maxilla, where the bone is softer and the implants are more likely to fail from occlusal overload.

Implant Dentist in West Palm Beach
Carlos Boudet, DDS  DICOI
1840 Forest Hill Blvd, Suite 204
West Palm Beach, Florida 33406
Phone: Call 561-968-6022

Website: http://www.boudetdds.com
Blog: http://www.mywestpalmbeachdentist.blogspot.com
Spanish Website: http://www.palmbeachdentist.net

 

 

 

About Carlos Boudet, DDS, DICOI

Dr. Boudet is a graduate of the Medical College of Virginia. After graduating with a DDS degree in 1980, he became a commissioned officer for the United States Public Health Service. When his tour of duty ended in 1982 he received an award for outstanding service. He was asked to serve as Dental Director for Florida Community Heath Centers, supervise the operation of four dental clinics around lake Okeechobee. He established his dental practice in West Palm Beach in 1983 and has been in the same location for 30 years. He is a Diplomate of the International Congress of Oral Implantologists, a member of the Central Palm Beach County Dental Society and a chairman of the Advanced Crown and Bridge course of the Atlantic Coast Dental Research Clinic. His articles on prosthodontics and implants have been published in several popular dental magazines.

2 Comments

  1. jon
    August 14, 2013 at 11:54 AM

    what is the average cost of getting the all on 4 I currently have no uppers had a plate that was lost in an accident looking to get top and bottom done and trying to figure out what I need to save

    Reply
    • admin
      August 14, 2013 at 12:20 PM

      Hi Jon,
      the average cost of All-On-Four treatment for your upper jaw in my area is around $10,000 for the surgical placement of the implants and around 12,000 for the placement of the teeth by the restorative dentist, for a total of about 22,000 to do your upper teeth.
      Thanks for your question, if you need additional information, call our office at (561) 968 6022

      Reply

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