What is All-on-4?

All-on-4 is a name that belongs to one company. Nobel Biocare, the implant maker, describes it on its website as a full-arch treatment concept on just four implants: two straight implants at the front of the jaw and two tilted implants at the back.

Dentists use plainer words for this kind of treatment: a full-arch implant denture. The American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons says full-mouth dental implants are what they sound like, a long-lasting replacement for most or all of a patient’s teeth. It says two or more titanium implants provide an anchor for the secure mounting of replacement teeth, preventing denture slipping and bone loss.

An implant denture can be attached in two ways, and the American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons describes both. Which one suits a patient is settled at the consultation.

The American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons says that, generally, if you can receive routine dental treatment, you can have an implant placed. A dentist checks the bone, the gums and your general health before deciding.

Thin bone is a question for the exam. The association says surgeons are trained and experienced in grafting, adding bone, to safely secure dental implants.

Your health history carries more weight than your age, according to the American Dental Association. The surgeons’ association says failure can be caused by a number of factors including low bone density, uncontrolled diabetes and smoking, and the ADA says using tobacco can also slow healing. Tell the office about diabetes, smoking and any medicines. What a dentist checks before placing an implant is laid out in am I a candidate for dental implants.

Full-arch implant dentures are placed in this office, in Winchester, TN. Sedation is available for the surgery. Dr. Orr gives IV sedation himself, and many patients are so comfortable that they remember little or none of the procedure. How the levels of sedation differ is covered in can I be asleep for dental work.

Healing takes months. The American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons says it usually takes several months once the implant is put into your jawbone, and your dentist sets the timeline for you.

Nobel Biocare’s concept uses four implants. How many implants a patient needs is decided at the consultation.

The American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons says that, if properly cared for, dental implants can last a lifetime. Care means brushing and flossing the implants the way you would a tooth, and seeing the dentist as you would for a tooth.

The association says long-term failure most often comes from peri-implantitis, a chronic infection of the gum and eventually the bone. An implant does not decay, but the gum around it can still get disease, so the check-ups matter.

Patients in Franklin County have otherwise driven about an hour to Murfreesboro, Huntsville or Chattanooga for a full-arch implant denture. Here it is done in Winchester, TN, sedation included.