The All-on-4 Procedure has undoubtedly made a difference in the dental implant world, allowing what can be a time-consuming procedure to become less invasive and more feasible for the person with time constraints.
From Nobel Biocare, this quick solution for dental implant placements allows a fixed denture to be placed using only four dental implants. This placement eliminates the standard healing time that applies to standard dental implant procedures.
Although the All-on-4 procedure is the right decision for many patients, there are drawbacks for this procedure. Below we have listed both the benefits and drawbacks of the procedure in order to provide you with a thorough overview as you and your implant dentist make the dental implant decision that is right for you.
Benefits of All-on-4 Dental Implants
- Fewer incisions in the mouth
- Faster recovery time
- Avoids the use of bone graft or nerve transposition techniques
- The costs are lower for the All-on-4 procedure
- Immediate function
- Fixed prosthesis
Drawbacks of All-on-4 Dental Implants
- If one of the dental implants fails, the entire restoration fails. If this is the case than the procedure will have to be re-done and a more conventional approach using more implants and bone grafting may be required. The success rate for the All-on-4 procedure is 93.5% for the upper jaw and 98% for the lower jaw, which is consistent with standard dental implant procedures.
- All-on-4 can contribute to jaw atrophy in the posterior region of the jaw if used in lieu of conventional implant dentistry. For this reason, the patient will have to be evaluated to ensure that the health of his or her mouth will withstand this procedure.
- Extreme bone loss within the mouth will make this procedure hard to impossible to perform.
- Overweight individuals
- The space available in the mouth will be a determinant if the procedure will work or not.
- Younger or larger framed patients will want to consider a conventional approach using more than four implants to improve long term predictability of their implant prosthesis.
- This procedure has less success in patients who smoke or have a history of periodontal disease.
The All-on-4 procedure is a recognized procedure with many benefits. As with any surgical procedure, it is important to look at it from every angle and go through a thorough consultation before finalizing the best surgery to suit your personal needs.