A dental implant is an artificial root made of titanium metal. It is
inserted into the jawbone to replace the root of the natural tooth.
An artificial replacement tooth is attached to the implant. The implant
acts as an anchor to hold the replacement tooth in place.
There’s also a new dental implant technique called All-on-4. The All-on-4
treatment concept was developed to provide endentulous patients with
an efficient and effective restoration using only four implants to support
an immediately loaded full-arch prosthesis (see below section for more
on All-on-4).
Dr. Mark Lin Prosthodontic Center, a dental office in Toronto, offers
both regular dental implants, as well as, All-on-4 implants.
• Your dental practitioner will carefully examine your mouth and take x-rays of your head, jaw and teeth to find out if dental implants are right for you.
• During the first stage of surgery, your dental practitioner will put a dental implant into your jawbone beneath the gum tissue. The gum tissue is then stitched back into place. As the tissue heals, the implant will bond with the bone and attach to the gum. It can take several months to heal.
• During the second stage of surgery and once the tissue is healed, your dental practitioner will attach an abutment to the implant. An abutment is a post that connects the replacement tooth to the implant. In some cases, the first and second stage of implant surgery may be done in one single stage.
• An artificial replacement tooth is made and your dental practitioner attaches it to the abutment. It may take several appointments to properly fit the replacement tooth to the abutment.
• When replacing several teeth or all of your teeth, a fixed bridge
is anchored to your dental implants. A bridge is a dental restoration
that replaces one or more missing teeth by spanning an area that has
no teeth. The bridge is held firmly in place by dental implants on each
side of the missing tooth or teeth.
The All-on-4 treatment technique is designed to replace an entire arch
of missing teeth with four implants, hence the name All-on-4. It is
tradedmarked by Nobel Biocare, one of the leading dental implant companies
in the world.
The All-on-four treatment concept was developed to provide endentulous
patients with an efficient and effective restoration using only four
implants to support an immediately loaded full-arch prosthesis.
Traditionally, treatments require patients to receive a total of six
or more implants, with treatment extending throughout 18 months of treatment.
Patients had to live with poorly fitted, temporary denture for a long
period of time. All-on-4 procedure shortens the treatment time frame
significantly. In our Toronto Dental Office, we successfully implemented
All-on-4 procedures.
All-on-four is a new alternative for patients that want to replace damaged,
unsightly, loose teeth or dentures with new fixed dental implants. Implant
treatment usually takes between 6 - 10 implants to replace all teeth
in order to have enough strength for a fixed implant bridge. With all-on-4
treatment the posterior implants are placed at a 45 degree angle, this
increases their strength and ability to anchor a fixed bridge using
less implants. The all-on-4 implants can be immediately loaded, instead
of waiting months to heal, the fixed provisional bridge can be completed
on the same day. This is one of the most exciting options we have ever
had in implant dentistry because the goal of most patients who wear
dentures is to feel like they have their own teeth again. For many patients,
due to cost, this was not possible. With All-on-4fixed implant teeth,
many more patients now have the option to get fixed permanent teeth
at a considerably lower cost.
The All-on-4 dental implant technique delivers the maximum results in the shortest time with minimal discomfort. Most patients experience only minor soreness the next day and can eat a light meal that same evening. In most cases, you may even return to work the next day. All-on-4 is also known as “permanent teeth in a day”.
See more before and after examples on our Smile
Gallery.
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