Losing a tooth is an unfortunate and uncomfortable situation that can occur due to several factors. Sometimes it may be as a result of an accident, sometimes tooth decay, and sometimes due to some other dental health issues.
Missing a tooth or more can harm your oral health, appearance, and self-confidence. With the loss of multiple teeth, you can have challenges with eating and talking.
Here is the good news: with an all-on-4 dental implant, you can fix the loss of several teeth on the same arch. All-on-4 dental implants will help restore your smile and appearance and boost your confidence.
This article will discuss the all-on-4 dental implant procedure using a step-by-step guide.
What is an all-on-4 dental implant?
The all-on-4 dental implant is also called the full arch implant. It contains four titanium implant posts inserted into the strategic places in the jawbone and then attached to a denture plate.
The all-on-4 dental implant is designed to replace a full teeth arch. It works to restore your dental functionality and improve the appearance of your smile.
The process of installing all-on-4 dental implants is an intrusive process that is done as a minor surgery by dental surgeons like those in Dentakay Clinic.
Recently several people are opting for the all-on-four dental implant as it is better than the regular one. It does not use adhesives and, therefore, will not cause the embarrassment that regular implants will cause when the adhesion wears off. They can also be taken care of like regular teeth.
With the benefits of the all-on-4 dental implant over other dental implants, many patients are excited to learn more about what the procedure of installing the implant is like and what their experience will be like should they want to go for it.
Let us have a glimpse at what the process is like.
The all-on-4 procedure
As several people live with at least one missing tooth, the demand for the all-on-4 dental implant is increasing. More people want to know how they will install all-on-4 dental implants. The following is a step-by-step guide on the all-on-4 dental implant procedure.
1. Consultation/ Examination
Like every other medical procedure, the all-on-4 dental place installation procedure begins with the consultation step. In this step, you schedule an appointment with your dentist.
In this step, a detailed review will be carried out on the patient's dental health, past medical history, digital 3D scans of the mouth, and X-rays. Also, a thorough physical checkup will be done on the mouth.
The purpose of this examination and series of tests is to ensure that the dentist understands the patient's oral health and knows if there is a need to correct some issues before the installation.
During the examination and consultation process, the dentist will discuss with the patient the goals of the procedure. It is done to ensure that all procedures areas are covered.
2. Pre-surgery process
After the consultation and getting the patient's agreement on the procedure, the next stage is preparing the patient for the procedure.
The first thing to do is take the necessary measurements to prepare for the surgical procedure. The measure will determine the prosthesis's size, shape, and orientation. This will ensure the smooth placement of the dental implants.
Some measurements that will be taken include the height of the gum lines, bite impressions, the extent of overbite or underbite, and ridge reduction. This will assist in getting the final desired outcome.
3. The all-on-4 surgical procedure
Now, this is the main part of the procedure. It is a surgical procedure that is a bit invasive. The dental surgeon will measure the natural distance between the top and bottom jaws in this step. This measurement is taken so the surgeon maintains the face's and jaw's shape and structure during the procedure.
Since the procedure is a surgical one, then anaesthesia will be administered. It can either be a total or local administration. Once the patient is sedated, dental surgery will begin.
The previously existing damaged teeth or the remnants of the lost ones will be removed. As well as excess or damaged gum.
Following this, an incision will be made around the ridge length to expose the jawbones.
After this, the surgeon will begin to mark insertion points on the surface of the bone, where they will fix the dental implants.
The pilot holes, which are the holes for the implant, will be drilled at a certain angle to ensure that it is solid and stable.
Now the implants are inserted in the pilot holes, and the surgeon places the tissue back around the implants and closes all the incisions.
Now it is time to fix the temporal dental prosthesis to the implants. The abutment will serve as the posts where the dental prosthesis will be mounted.
4. Post-surgery care
This is the last stage in the all-on-4 dental implant procedure. It ends the step-by-step guide on what the process is like.
After the surgical process, the patient must undergo post-surgical care and stay on a soft-food diet for the first few months.
The dental implant is made from materials that enable it to form a bond with the organic materials in the jawbone. The bonding process usually takes 3-4 months, after which the patient can return to the dentist to get the final prosthesis fixed. Once this is done, the patient can include firmer foods like veggies and nuts in their diet.
Final thoughts
There you have the all-on-4 dental implant procedure with a step-by-step guide on how it is done. You can now decide to get an all-on-4 dental implant and ease yourself of the oral health difficulties due to lost teeth.
Take the bold step today and reach out to your dentist to schedule an appointment.
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