Can Anyone Get Dental Implants?

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All-on-4 dental implants

All-on-4 might sound mystifying if you’re unfamiliar with dental implants. For starters, the “All’’ refers to a full set of teeth in the upper or lower arch, while the “4’’ refers to the number of dental implants required to support the full set of teeth. In other words, when you hear your dentist talking about “All-on-4 dental implants”, they’re referring to a full set of upper or lower teeth that will be supported by just 4 dental implants strategically placed along the dental ridge.

There are many benefits of All-on-4 dental implants. First off, they can fully replace an entire arch of missing teeth in a single procedure. Secondly, they eliminate the need for bone grafts. This is because only 4 implants are required, and a dentist can choose areas with sufficient bone mass to place the implants. But while we place hundreds of All-on 4-implants each year, there are a few instances where they are not the optimum choice for the patient.

Reasons why all-on-4 may not be your best option

There are many reasons why All-on-4 implants may not be your best treatment option:

Inadequate Bone Mass

Studies show that there is a 25% bone loss during the first year of tooth loss and 50-60% bone loss within 3 years of tooth loss. While All-on-4 requires less bone density, a certain amount of bone density is still required to support the implants. If you do not have enough bone mass to hold an implant, you will need to consider other options.

Uncontrolled Illnesses

The placement of All-on-4 implants requires surgery and, therefore, comes with a certain degree of risk which requires you to be generally healthy. Health problems like cancer, diabetes and autoimmune disorders can prevent one from getting implants because they impair your ability to heal after surgery.

Certain medications

Unfortunately, patients who are on certain chemotherapy drugs, corticosteroids or beta-blocks for heart conditions may not be able to get dental implants. Studies have shown that these medications increase the chances of dental implant failure.

Lifestyle habits

Certain lifestyle habits such as smoking and poor oral hygiene may increase the chances of dental implant failure by up to three times.

Ongoing Periodontal Disease

Periodontal disease can cause serious infections during the dental procedure and cause issues with the implant placement.

Dentures as an alternative

If All-on-4 may not be right for you, we can recommend a clinic where you can get affordable, comfortable dentures made. 

Why dentures are a good second option

Dentures are one of the simplest solutions to missing teeth because just like implants, they are comfortable and also removable (some patients like this, while others don’t). Some of the reasons why patients love dentures include:

  • Getting them is easy, painless and inexpensive when compared to dental implants.
  • They also don’t slide and require fewer radical measures if they break.
  • They give you a comfortable fit and have a natural look.
  • They tend to be more cost-effective.

For more information about All-on-4, get in contact with us or simply look at our case studies on the Advanced Dental Artistry site.

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