Benefits and Advantages of the ‘All-on-4’ Dental Implant Technique

In spite of all the incredible medical technology we have at our fingertips, there are currently tens of millions of people in the United States alone who have lost all of their teeth to decay and periodontal disease! Periodontal (gum) disease is described as a chronic and acute bacterial infection of the soft tissue surrounding the teeth and is a pervasive problem that affects around 30% of all people entering into their late adulthood. A number of factors can make you more susceptible to gum disease than others, such as smoking, poor oral hygiene, chronic illness (diabetes and cancer), certain medications and genetics, but if left untreated, the results are the same: tooth decay, bone loss and eventually, edentulism (having no teeth). Without teeth to populate that once glorious smile of yours, countless vital functions are severely compromised:

• Difficulty eating resulting in poor nutrition
• Difficulty in articulating and speaking
• Low self-esteem and confidence

Furthermore, the intimate relationship between your body and mouth means that the disease-causing pathogens that have colonized the gums have direct access to all other vital anatomical organs and systems! Scientific research has shown there to be a close relationship between periodontal (gum) disease and diseases of the heart, lungs, kidneys as well as diabetes, arthritis and Alzheimer’s. It can even cause complications in pregnancy and this really illustrates the necessity for prompt treatment.

Traditional Teeth Replacement Technology

Before the conception of the ‘All-on-4™‘ dental implant technique by Dr. Paulo Malo – the founder and CEO of the world renowned MALO CLINICS – patients presenting with tooth loss and edentulism would have to resign themselves to a fate of denture-wearing. Yet, even today, with the availability of this sophisticated, non-removable and long term teeth replacement solution, people continue to struggle with the challenges and repeated costs associated with removable partial and full dentures or false teeth. These include:

• The need for messy adhesives – a repeat expense – to prevent the dentures from slipping
• Removal for cleaning after meals and at nighttime, which can prove to be extremely inconvenient, and socially uncomfortable.
• The risk of falling out causing acute embarrassment
• Unnatural oral aesthetics arising from the dentures shifting around in the mouth
• The triggering of gag reflex
• Taste impediment
• Removable dentures harbor food, sputum and bacteria causing bad breath if not kept impeccably clean
• Sore and irritated gums and the need for anesthetic gels – another repeat expense – to minimize pain and discomfort

But perhaps of all these challenges and repeated expenses, the most crippling for those who have to wear partial or full dentures is the need for repeat bridge work to be done every few years or so as a result of bone loss in the jaw.

Tooth Loss and Bone Atrophy

Ironically, one of the biggest causes of tooth loss… is tooth loss to begin with! The roots of your teeth provide a fundamental source of stimulation to the underlying bone tissue. The mechanical forces associated with eating and chewing encourages a healthy jaw, maintaining its bone volume and density. When a tooth is lost, so is this stimulation, or pressure in the area of the root, and the bone tissue begins to atrophy. The subsequent re-absorption of this hard tissue by the jaw results in the loss of bone volume and this is what causes that sunken and aged appearance about the mouth that we traditionally associate with the elderly or denture-wearers. Because the ‘All-on-4™’ technique uses dental implants to provide ‘anchorage’ for a non-removable dental prosthetic bridge – which are similar to strong artificial ‘tooth roots’ – they help to restore the stimulation that prevents bone atrophy from occurring. This halts the progression of bone loss in the jaw, thus enabling the ‘All-on-4™’ to function as a long-term solution to tooth loss and edentulism.

Benefits and Advantages of the ‘All-on-4™’ Dental Implant Technique

To put it quite simply, there is no comparison between the revolutionary ‘All-on-4™‘ technique and removable dentures. With this incredible technique, the following benefits and advantages are afforded to almost all patients of all ages and stages of tooth loss:

• Results of the ‘All-on-4™’ procedure are immediate and can be enjoyed on the same day. This means instant oral aesthetics (a beautiful and natural smile) and a fully restored bite functionality, which almost always can be used for eating on the evening of the procedure.

• The results are fixed and non-removable: The dental prosthetic bridge used in the ‘All-on-4™’ is affixed to four dental implants in the mouth. So, unlike false teeth, it does not move around and cannot fall out. This represents the overcoming of a massive hurdle in the field of teeth replacement.
• In keeping with the previous point, the dental bridge is cared for and cleaned just like natural teeth – with regular brushing, flossing, and rinsing- so no need for removal after meals or at night time.
• No repeated expenses such as messy adhesives, anesthetic gels and other costs associated with wearing removable dentures.
• The dental prosthesis is custom fabricated to intimately fit the natural contours of the patient’s mouth and jaw, so it doesn’t cause any discomfort and feels like a full set of natural teeth.
• The ‘All-on-4™’ dental bridge does not compromise taste, nor does it trigger the gag reflex as removable dentures tend to.
• Increased bite strength so patients can enjoy all the foods they love but previously couldn’t with removable dentures and missing teeth.
• Promotes a healthy jaw bone: The ‘All-on-4™’ technique enhances the longevity of the underlying jaw bone by preventing atrophy. As a result there is no need for costly bridgework to be done every few years or so as a result of continued bone loss. In other words, the ‘All-on-4™’ technique can work as a once-off treatment for tooth loss and edentulism.
• The ‘All-on-4™’ teeth replacement solution is long term and can last decades to a lifetime if cared for properly!
  • Patients almost never need to undergo the pain and discomfort associated with bone grafting surgery,
  • Patients save money and time, by avoiding multiple procedures
  • Minimizes the recovery period so that the entire procedure can be completed in as little as a single day
  • Enables patients to receive new and immediately functional teeth in a day!

Top Benefit: New and Beautiful Teeth in a Day

What has largely set the ‘All-on-4™’ apart from all other dental implant techniques and traditional teeth replacement methods is its ability to give patients a full set of beautiful and immediately functional teeth in a single day! You see, in order for the titanium based implant to successfully ‘osseointegrate’ (form a strong biological bond) with the bone of the jaw, there needs to be sufficient bone volume beneath the locations of the missing teeth. Since an untreated acute and chronic bacterial infection of the gums causes bone loss in the jaw, patients suffering from periodontal disease are frequently told that they are not candidates for traditional dental implant techniques. This can be remedied by bone grafting, but this surgery tends to be costly and painful and with months required for healing before patients can receive implants. The ‘All-on-4™’ almost always renders bone grafting obsolete thanks to the ingenious positioning and angulation of the four implant screws used to support the rigid prosthetic bridge of artificial teeth. Because of this:

Furthermore, almost everyone who comes to the MALO Dental Implants Facility is a candidate; even those who present with considerable bone loss in the jaw as a result of advanced periodontal disease.

A Final Note

Each and every patient that walks into the MALO Dental Implants Facility presents an entirely unique case that is approached with the utmost care and sensitivity. Every day we provide incredible solutions to patients who have been previously told by their general dentists that they are not candidates for dental implants. The tens of thousands of successfully treated cases worldwide have proved the ‘All-on-4™’ procedure to be one of the most comprehensive tooth replacement technique for patients of all ages and stages of periodontal disease.