Tooth loss is a common occurrence and a growing concern among adults. You can lose a tooth for many reasons, such as tooth decay, periodontal diseases, a failed root canal, or an accident or facial injury. As per a survey, twenty-six percent of people over sixty-five have only eight or lower teeth. In such cases, dentures rescue can efficiently replace your missing teeth with natural-looking dental implants.

You might come across many choices when looking for permanent teeth replacement, and one such option is all-on-4 dental implants which can replace some or all of your natural teeth. A natural question that would come to your mind is whether this all-on-4 is the same as traditional dentures, and if not, how are they different? In this article, we will compare these artificial teeth options to make your decision easy.

What Are Dentures?

If you have missing teeth, it shows when you talk to someone, smile, or laugh. It also affects your eating and speech, which can trigger social anxiety. With dentures, you can overcome these issues with the help of custom-made porcelain or plastic teeth having a plastic base that replicates the gum tissues and forms a seal with the gum. These artificial teeth could also be held in place with dental implants surgically placed in your jaws.

• Traditional artificial teeth are held in place with adhesive and improve the mouth’s functionality in patients and offer cosmetic benefits.
• You can have either partial or complete dentures, and these traditional dental appliances have been used for decades to replace missing teeth.
• There is also an option for removable partial dentures to replace several missing teeth.
• Complete dentures can repair the entire top and bottom arch of teeth in an affordable manner.

What are All-on-4 Dental Implants?

When you begin losing your teeth, you would first think of a complete set of artificial teeth which might not be the best option in all cases. With the advancements in dental technology, we now have the option of all-on-4 implants, an advanced dental procedure.

• In this procedure, one to four dental implants are screwed on your upper or lower jaws, which are used to secure either partial or complete dental appliances.
• The implants are composed of titanium and look like screws before the artificial teeth are permanently sealed to the base.
• These implants are spread strategically throughout the arch to support the natural-looking replacement teeth.
• This dental appliance has holes that are in line with implant posts, which are later screwed in place.
• These appliances give you a beautiful smile much faster than traditional artificial teeth. The procedure is typically performed in just one day.
• These dental implants do not require adhesive; you do not need to remove them daily to clean them.

Traditional Dentures Vs. All-on-4 Implants

All-on-4 uses state-of-art technology to use only four implants positioned in the upper and lower jaw in such a way that they can support an entire row of teeth. They are far superior to traditional dentures in several ways, as outlined below:

• The number of implants needed – In the case of traditional dental implants, you would need one implant per tooth. But with advanced technology, all-on-4 can restore your dental function and smile with just four implants.
• The number of surgeries – Common dental appliances need multiple surgeries having long recovery periods between each surgery. With all-on-4, there is only one surgery where your dentist would install the artificial roots as well as the replacement teeth in just one day. You no longer have to wait for several weeks (or even months) in between your surgeries for your jaw to heal. The implants do not need the osseointegration(a process where your new tooth roots fuse with your jawbone) process to take place.
• Oral hygiene and maintenance – If you have removable dentures, then you would need to take them out for cleaning. But with all-in-4, you can clean your artificial teeth the same way you clean your natural teeth. There is no need for you to follow any additional oral care guidelines with all-in-4 as opposed to dentures since your artificial teeth are connected to durable implants,
• Comfort – All-on-4 is a much more comfortable alternative to artificial teeth compared to traditional dental appliances. The way dentures are designed, they rest directly on your gums, leading to painful mouth sores and also causing ongoing discomfort. But all-on-4 are fastened securely in the mouth, which does not give any type of discomfort. The roof of your mouth is left open with all-on-4, while regular dental implants cover the top of the mouth.
• Need for bone grafting – Bone grafting is a process where your dentist removes small fragments of your bone from one area of your jaw and transfers them to other areas where you receive the implants. In the case of all-on-4, your dentist selects the bulkiest areas of your jaw to place the implants; hence it is highly unlikely that you would need to go through a bone grafting procedure. But bone grafting is quite common in traditional dental implants and increases the total treatment time.
• Affect on facial structure – All-on-4 restores and preserves your natural facial structure and prevents bone deterioration. But dentures allow your face and bone to transform and give you an aged look.
• Cost – Though all-on-4 is more expensive than regular artificial teeth, you should consider the fact that all-on-4 is permanent in nature, which makes it more cost-effective. You could also potentially save money with all-on-4 as you do not have to return to your dentist for additional surgeries and follow-up appointments, which is a common thing with traditional dentures.

All-on-4 has many benefits, making them a much better alternative for missing teeth than traditional dentures. All-on-4 is done in just one day by giving patients just four dental implants to support the entire arch of teeth, and it saves time and multiple surgeries and appointments, as seen with regular dental appliances.