Dentures

All-on four: One full arch of teeth, four dental implants
To fully understand this remarkable technique for replacing teeth, you should first understand what a dental implant is. An implant is a small titanium screw that fits inside your jawbone and replaces the root-part of a missing tooth. Minor surgery is required to insert the implants. Once the implant is in place, a crown is attached to give you a highly realistic-looking and functional prosthetic tooth.

Here’s where it gets really interesting: You do not need a dental implant for each and every one of your missing teeth. All you need is four precisely placed implants on the top of your mouth, and four on the bottom, to restore your full smile. That’s the beauty of the all-on-four. And because the implant is made of titanium, it has the unique ability to fuse to living bone and function as part of it. So eventually, the dental implant becomes part of the jawbone and serves as a strong, long-lasting foundation for your new teeth.

Besides ensuring that your implants are permanently fixed in place, this bone fusion has another important benefit: it prevents future bone loss in the jaw. This helps to maintain a more youthful facial structure—and better oral health. But perhaps the biggest surprise about the all-on-four is how quickly it can transform your life.

A great smile may be closer than you think. Imagine having a full set of teeth within three days. Here’s how it happens:

• Preliminary appointment:
  A consultation where we will form a diagnosis and treatment plan, including a detailed medical and dental history, necessary diagnostic radiographs, photographs and impressions.
• 2nd Appointment (Day 1: surgery)
  Implant placement, and impressions taken for teeth placement. This procedure is most commonly performed under local anaesthetic, but can also be performed under sedation or general anaesthetic.
• 3rd Appointment (Day 2: ‘try in’)
  Your new teeth are set in wax and ‘tried in’ within 24-48 hours of the implant placement. Any necessary adjustments to tooth positioning and colour can be made at this stage, as we work to make your new smile as natural and comfortable as possible. A highlight for a patient is that you get to see what your new teeth look like before they are finalized.
• 4th Appointment (Day 3: new teeth)
  Your new teeth are inserted and fixed to the dental implants.

Seriously, you’re done. Smile!