All on 4 dental implants’ are an incredible innovation in dental science that enables people who have lost most or all of their original adult teeth to periodontal disease to receive a brand new set of fixed teeth in as little as a single dental appointment. Quite sensational, isn’t it? Well, the procedure has already brought complete oral rehabilitation to tens of thousands of patients around the world; people that have long suffered the many challenges and repeated costs of removable dentures or false teeth. The All on 4 dental implants technique is a step above traditional teeth replacement techniques owing to its unique applicability to cases of advanced and acute periodontal disease as well as the fact that the results are fixed and non-removable. In order to fully appreciate these benefits, let’s take a look at one of the main causes of rampant tooth loss… periodontal disease.
The All on 4 Dental Implants Technique: Overcoming Bone Loss
Periodontal disease is characterized by an acute and chronic bacterial infection of the soft tissues encasing the jaw, namely the gums. If left untreated, these nasty pathogens migrate down deep into the gingival sulci, or tooth sockets and create deep pockets of toxin and decay between the teeth and the gum wall. Over time, the bone of the jaw becomes deteriorated to such an extent that the teeth can no longer be supported. Consequently, they fall out. If this sounds extreme, then know that a staggering 80% of all Americans present with some form or stage of periodontal disease! How is this possible? It is because this oral affliction does not have any painful or obvious symptoms in its early stages. Bleeding gums when brushing, some tooth discoloration, gum inflammation and bad breath can easily be ignored, especially if you are one of the many people with an illogical fear of the dentist. Possibly by the time you are a candidate for All on 4 dental implants, the damage to your gums and teeth is irreversible.
Traditional dental implant techniques generally require bone grafting surgery in order to augment and encourage the growth of new healthy hard tissue so that the dental implants themselves have the support they need to remain anchored. The problem here is that this procedure requires several months of healing before oral rehabilitation can be commenced and no one wants to wait up to nine months before they can freely smile again. The All on 4 dental implant technique almost always avoids bone grafting through the unique positioning and angulation of only four dental implants in regions of the mouth that naturally contain a greater volume of bone. A fully customized prosthetic dental bridge is then affixed to these implants giving patients a complete set of beautiful and functional teeth in as little as a single dental appointment of a only few hours!
Among the materials for biomedical applications, commercially pure titanium is widely used in dental implants , due to its ability to bone-integrated, their mechanical properties and biocompatibility that gives it its surface oxide.