All-on-4® Treatment Concept Frederick, MD
When you lose your teeth, several issues occur. Tooth loss affects your abilities to bite and chew, which can impact your digestion and your overall nutrition. Your speech is impacted, which can affect your ability to communicate effectively. Your smile deteriorates, which can lead to self-consciousness. When you lose teeth, you also suffer bone loss in your jaw, which causes the bone to become weak. Dental implants are a popular treatment for replacing missing teeth, including an entire arch. However, for implants to be successful, you need to have sufficient bone mass remaining in your jaw. At Dental Arts of Frederick, we can provide you with a treatment that helps you to avoid the need for a bone graft with the All-on-4® treatment concept.
Dental Implants
Dental implants are a treatment for replacing missing teeth. This treatment uses small titanium posts, which are surgically placed into your jawbone. Your bone fuses to the posts, turning them into replacement roots that then work to hold your dental restorations in place. Implants can replace any number of teeth, from a single tooth to an entire arch of teeth.
The Effects of Bone Loss on Dental Implants
When you lose your teeth, your jawbone begins to lose bone mass. Your teeth perform many important responsibilities, including stimulating your jawbone. This stimulation is essential for helping to maintain the strength of your jaw. When you lose teeth, your jaw loses stimulation. Over time, your jawbone begins to weaken. The strength of your jawbone is integral to the success of dental implants. As you heal, the bone fuses to the posts. However, if you do not have enough bone mass left, your implants will not integrate properly, or at all. Typically, a bone graft can be performed to restore missing bone mass. If you are missing an entire arch of teeth, we can help to avoid the need for a bone graft with the All-on-4® treatment concept.
What is the All-on-4® Treatment Concept?
The All-on-4® Treatment Concept is a type of full arch restoration. Where a typical full arch restoration, 6 to 8 implant posts are used to support your replacement teeth. However, if your jaw is too weak, it may not be able to support those posts. The All-on-4® treatment concept provides a full arch replacement without the need for a bone graft. Instead of 6 to 8 posts, this treatment uses only 4. These posts are placed strategically in your jaw. Two posts are placed vertically at the front of the jaw, where there is naturally more bone mass. The other two posts are placed at the back of the jaw. These posts are inserted at a 45-degree angle, maximizing contact between the posts and your existing bone mass. This helps to create a strong, stable restoration for your missing teeth.
The Benefits of the All-on-4® Treatment Concept
The All-on-4® treatment concept offers all of the same benefits provided by all other types of dental implants. Other benefits of this treatment include:
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Less surgery. You only require 4 posts, instead of 6 to 8, which means you undergo less surgery.
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A shorter recovery period.
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You avoid the need for a bone graft.
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Treatment is more affordable. |
If you have lost an entire arch of teeth and have been told that your jawbone is too weak to support the typical number of implant posts for a full arch replacement, you may be a candidate for the All-on-4® Treatment Concept. For more information, and to schedule your appointment, call Dental Arts of Frederick today at 301-732-7277. |