It has become more common today for patients to request and be recommended for dental implant treatment. Sometimes a single-tooth implant is all that is needed. Many people have medical or health issues that make saving their teeth very difficult. Some request dental implant treatment for cosmetic reasons. One of the most well-known rehabilitating dental treatments for replacing a full arch of teeth involves placing dental implants to support an appliance, and is commonly known as All-on-4® Implants.
What Dr. Mark Anderson uses is a hybrid concept, utilizing similar ideas to implant-supported bridges and fixed hybrid implants. This process is also similar to the All-on-4 implant method, because there are four implants that are used to restore 12 teeth. That is a whole upper or lower jaw. The four implants support the entire appliance.
Our All-on-4 implant appliance mainly consists of a denture that has a titanium bar with crown preparations. The bar is screwed onto the four implants, and the crowns are cemented onto the bar, forming a dental bridge. This bar is not removed, except to clean the denture.
The Procedure:
The All-on-4 implant procedure is similar to Teeth-in-a-day, in that it replaces your missing teeth immediately. First, the remaining teeth in the arch are removed, and the four implants are placed. A temporary denture is made to act as your temporary teeth directly after the surgery. These temporaries are not to be used as chewing teeth immediately following the surgery, as the implants need time to heal. After the implants have healed, you will receive the permanent bridge with the bar.
Our Philosophy:
At Anderson Family Dentistry, our dentist and team strive for excellent outcomes for our patients. We want to give our patients high-value restorations, so we partner with oral surgeons and a laboratory that uses an approach that lasts and gives our patients the most out of their investment with their All-on-4 implant appliances. We do not use traditional denture teeth for our hybrid All-on-4 implant appliances either. Rather, as previously stated, we make all of our hybrid All-on-4 implant appliances with dental crowns, which look like regular teeth.
This method is a deviation from the more commercial corporate approach. We do this because we find that the more commercial way results in worn-out teeth in a couple of years. Traditional denture teeth typically have to be replaced routinely every three to four years. With hybrid All-on-4 implant appliances made with crowns, we have not seen any breakdown of the teeth. Crowns can last up to 15 years or more, but if one breaks, it is easily replaced. We do not need to remove the whole hybrid — which is equal to a jaw of 12 teeth — and send it into the lab. Instead, what we do is just make a new crown and cement it as a regular crown.
Although making a hybrid All-on-4 implant appliance with 12 crowns instead of plastic denture teeth results in a higher value for the restoration, we do not charge more for the appliance. This is because we want our patients to have the benefit of the longevity and the cosmetics of dental crowns over denture teeth.
If you would like to learn more about hybrid All-on-4 implants in Mesa, Arizona, we invite you to contact us today at 480-633-3447.