A flawless smile is a wonderful feature, but when all teeth are missing in a jaw, you will not have a beautiful smile, affecting your general health and confidence. Several treatment options are available to replace lost teeth, like dental implants, bridges, and dentures. When deciding on the appropriate treatment, you should weigh the advantages and disadvantages of each treatment.
Implants are preferred by many because they offer durability and aesthetics. Nevertheless, because a single implant costs at least $3,000, the cost can discourage you from the procedure, particularly when you want a full arch. Dentures are more pocket-friendly, but gum irritation and maintenance problems are unattractive.
What if it is possible to have a full mouth reconstruction using four or six implants?
At Tarzana Dental Care, we offer the trendy all-on-4 or all-on-6, also called all-on-X services, to replace all your teeth, although we do not perform the procedure on the same day because of the elevated risk of failure. We allow you three to four months to heal before the conversion. Below, we have discussed information about these modern technology services and how you can reach us for assistance.
All on X Definition
Dental implants have changed people’s views of dental restorations, making the treatment the best discovery in dentistry so far. The technological advancements in dental implant treatment have resulted in the all-on-X treatment. The process entails replacing complete arches of degraded or missing teeth in one jaw with dentures anchored by four or six dental implants, depending on your oral needs. The implants are strategically positioned in the upper and lower jaws, connected by a bridge, to offer stability and aesthetics.
Common Tooth Loss Causes
As you grow older, tooth loss becomes inevitable. Several elements add to the loss, including:
Tooth Decay and Cavities
The primary factors contributing to tooth loss are decay and cavities. When you fail to observe oral hygiene by regularly brushing your teeth, plaque builds up, allowing for bacteria growth. The bacteria in the mouth produce acid that attacks your tooth surface, causing holes or cavities. When the openings are left unattended, they eat up the tooth enamel, causing it to fall out or break. If the decay is extensive and poses a risk of severe dental problems, your dentist will recommend an extraction, leaving you with missing teeth.
Gum Disease
Another common explanation for missing teeth is periodontal or gum disease. The condition, like tooth decay, is caused by poor oral hygiene, which allows bacteria to breed in the gums, causing infection. Your gums provide your teeth with a supporting structure. When they start receding, the teeth are left exposed and weak, which can cause them to fall out. Other times, gum disease can spread to the jawbone, causing it to deteriorate. Because the jaw offers anchorage to the teeth, if it is weak, the teeth become loose and ultimately fall out.
Trauma to the Mouth
Sports mishaps or falls can cause trauma in the mouth, knocking out teeth or causing severe damage that necessitates tooth removal.
Medical Illnesses
Health conditions like diabetes and cancer can elevate the possibility of tooth loss. They interfere with the blood flow to the gums or reduce the immune system, exposing you to dental diseases that lead to tooth loss.
Lastly, you can suffer tooth loss due to genetic predisposition. If tooth loss is hereditary, avoiding it will likely be difficult.
Generally, the most effective way to prevent tooth loss is by adopting healthy dental hygiene habits and visiting your dentist twice a year for cleaning and examination. With proper care of your teeth, you can prevent problems with missing teeth.
Regardless of the reason for the lost teeth, it would help if you took measures to fill the gaps or spaces left by the lost teeth. Failure to act on time will result in bone deterioration, leading to the loss of the teeth left behind and facial structure.
The standard procedure for replacing missing teeth is dental implant placement. Based on the lost teeth in one jaw, we at Tarzana Dental Care can fit you with four or six implants based on your preference.
Materials Used on All-on Procedures
Conventional implants are most suitable when you have one or a few missing teeth. Nevertheless, we recommend all-on-X implants when replacing an entire arch. Various materials are available for full-mouth reconstruction, depending on several aspects.
One of the factors that will influence your choice of implant-supported dentures is the opposing teeth. When you already have an existing restoration, pick an implant material that matches the view and functionality of the existing teeth.
If your oral problems involve clenching or grinding your teeth, you want to pick materials that are highly resistant to degradation. Also, if you are young, you want to pick a highly durable material so the restoration does not require replacement soon.
Again, oral health influences the choice of implant material. Our dentist will vouch for the right material depending on the health condition of your jawbone.
Another factor is your budget. The various implant materials differ in price. We will pick the appropriate material for the all-on-X system depending on how much you want to spend.
The most prevalent all-on-X implant materials are as follows:
-
Acrylic Implants
Acrylic material is the cheapest traditional titanium dental implant material. The material is highly degradable, so we recommend it if you work on a small budget and do not grind your teeth. Although they come in various sizes, they do not compare to other implant materials beauty-wise and are exposed to degradation.
-
Porcelain Implants
Dental implants created using porcelain resemble crowns. The advantage of implants made of this material is that they are more durable than acrylic and can be tailored to match your style. Their downside is that when damaged, they are hard to repair, thus requiring replacement.
-
Zirconia Implants
The cutting-edge material in the industry for making dental implants is zirconia. It is the sturdiest material for people with tooth-grinding problems or young individuals who want longer restorations. Also, the material resembles the color of your natural teeth, giving you the aesthetics you want. On the downside, the material is expensive and challenging to install. Hence, it would help if you had an experienced dentist perform the procedure.
Candidacy for the Treatment
Our all-on-X procedures are safe, but not everyone qualifies for the treatment. Therefore, when planning for a full mouth reconstruction, our dentists will thoroughly evaluate your mouth to determine if you qualify. If you have an oral condition like gum disease or a deteriorated jawbone, we will address the problem before proceeding with implantation.
If you already wear dentures or are missing all teeth in a single jaw, you are an ideal candidate for the procedure. Also, if you have been missing teeth for a long time, resulting in jawbone loss, the bone could be insufficient to support individual implants to replace each lost tooth. In an all-on-X treatment, the few implants are strategically positioned in parts of the jaw where the bone is adequate to offer full support. However, we must thoroughly evaluate the jawbone before deciding your candidacy.
Also, we offer all-on services to people with small budgets who cannot afford an implant for every lost tooth. Again, non-smokers are the best candidates because the risk of implant failure is minimal. With only a few implants required, the treatment is short and affordable. However, unlike other dental services that advertise the all-on system as a single-visit procedure, we understand the need to allow the four or six implants to integrate with the bone through osseointegration for maximum effectiveness of the treatment.
Therefore, instead of surgically placing the implants and the artificial teeth on the same day, we allow you three or four months for the implant to integrate with the bone. During this time, you wear dentures to prevent becoming toothless. After proper healing, we schedule a second visit when we place the final restoration. Although the procedure becomes slower this way, the risk of failure is lower than in same-day treatment. Going for a service that promises a quick fix to your problem can be tempting, but you can pay more and undergo treatment for a long time when the implantation fails.
Understanding the Procedure
Understanding what to expect when going in for an all-on treatment is critical. Besides, the steps followed in the treatment depend on your choice of restoration. The common steps involved in the procedure are:
First Consultation and Examination
When you visit us for the procedure, we will begin with an oral examination using a CT scan and X-ray. If part of your jawbone is healthy and has sufficient density to anchor implants, you will be qualified for the treatment. Whether we place four or six implants depends on your budget and the condition of your bone.
Also, in the initial consultation, we use 3D imaging to develop a treatment plan that embraces your bone structure, a suitable implant position, and a replacement design.
Additional Treatments
When the bone lacks enough density to anchor the implants, you will need a bone graft or sinus lift before the treatment. During a bone graft, we will remove bone fragments from other body parts and attach them to the jawbone. After this procedure, you must wait several months before implantation.
Prepping the Mouth
Once you have qualified for the treatment and created a plan, the procedure will go into the preparation phase. We will extract the few remaining damaged teeth in the mouth and clean the gums to prevent bacterial infections. Also, when necessary, we will put you on antibiotics. We perform the procedure under general or local anesthesia to keep you comfortable and relaxed.
Undergoing Surgery
The oral surgeon working on your case will make an incision on the gums to expose the section of the jawbone earmarked for an implant. The dental expert will then strategically screw in the titanium post and repeat the step based on the number of implants required. Under an all-on-4 system, two anterior screws will be strategically placed close to the front of the mouth and two posteriors at the back. The anterior ones are screwed in straight, and the posterior ones are screwed in at 45 degrees to avoid bone grafting when you lack adequate bone density. If you want an all-on-6 treatment, an implant will be added at the back of each jaw.
We use titanium posts because they are biocompatible and integrate with the jawbone as time passes.
Attaching Provisional Teeth
We will attach temporary artificial teeth to allow healing. This will take around three to four months, but it is necessary to increase the efficiency of the treatment.
Fixing the Permanent Prosthetic Teeth
Our dentists give you up to four months for the bone to integrate with the implant. After you have fully recovered, we will place the permanent restorations.
All on Aftercare
Once the final prosthetic is in place, we will give detailed instructions for tooth care. Your dentist will encourage you to practice healthy oral hygiene and stick to soft or liquid foods to avoid putting pressure on the surgical site.
Also, the expert will dissuade you from smoking because it lowers the immune system, slowing healing. Contact sports are also discouraged because they increase the risk of trauma and dislodging the implant.
Lastly, we encourage you to visit us regularly for checkups and cleanings to allow us to detect oral issues early and arrest them before they cause severe complications.
All on Implants Risk
All-on X systems have revolutionized dental implant procedures. Although the treatment is effective and safe, you can experience side effects or complications. The complications of the procedure are:
-
Adverse Reaction to Anesthesia
A dental implant procedure is highly invasive. So, we administer anesthesia to make you comfortable. If you are anxious about the surgery or afraid of pain, we administer general anesthesia to put you to sleep throughout. Nevertheless, for patients who are not anxious about the procedure, we administer mod or local anesthesia to numb the area of the surgery to keep them awake.
Some patients can have an allergic reaction to anesthesia, leading to serious complications. Therefore, before the surgery, inform your dentist if you have had adverse reactions to particular medications.
-
Implant Failure
First-time patients undergoing all-on procedures attain the desired outcome. Nevertheless, a few treatments fail, primarily when the entire treatment is completed on the first day. Same-day treatments fail because the implant lacks sufficient time to integrate with the jawbone. Incurring hefty costs only for the treatment to fail can be frustrating, although you can still go through with a second treatment with a high chance of success.
At Tarzana Dental Care, most treatments are successful because we allow you time to heal after the implantation before fixing the final restoration. A few procedures fail because of poor dental hygiene, smoking, or biting hard foods. If you want your treatment to succeed, follow the post-procedure instructions from the dentist.
-
Post-Surgery Infection
The risk of developing an infection after the surgery depends on the type of oral surgeon you choose for the treatment. Our highly competent dental professionals will follow the protocols provided for these procedures to prevent infections.
Infections occur due to contamination of the surgical room or equipment. Others are caused by low immunity or neglect of post-treatment instructions. Indications that you have an infection are:
- Wobbly implants.
- Gum inflammation around the implantation area.
- Bad breath.
- Fever.
- Gum bleeding.
- Pain on the site of the implant.
You can avoid these complications by seeking all-on-implant services from competent dental professionals.
All on X Implants Cost
All-on systems simplify dental implant procedures and make them affordable. All-on-4 procedures cost $15,000 to $30,000, while all-on-6 procedures cost $24,000 to $30,000. The initial costs of the procedure seem high, but you save money in the long run.
Also, costs vary based on various factors. The first factor that will affect the price of the services is your dental insurance. If your insurer covers the entire or part of the treatment, it will reduce the amount you must pay out of pocket.
The other factor is the number of implants. An all-on-4 procedure is cheaper than one that requires six implants. The implants required depend on the severity of the infection and the low jawbone density. The fewer the implants, the less you will pay.
Preliminary procedures also affect the price of these dental implants. When you have a weak jawbone that requires grafting or gum disease that requires treatment before proceeding with the procedure, you will pay more than a person with a healthy jawbone that does not require additional treatments before the placement of implants.
Lastly, the type of anesthesia will affect the price. Local anesthesia will cost you less than general anesthesia. General anesthesia is expensive because your surgeon must involve an anesthesiologist to administer it and monitor you when you are deep asleep.
Find a Knowledgeable Tarzana Dental Implants Expert Near Me
At Tarzana Dental Care, we will conveniently replace missing teeth using the latest dental implant technology, all-on-X. Our dentists are passionate about giving you a beautiful smile. We will evaluate the situation of your mouth and design a treatment plan using state-of-the-art technology for a successful procedure. Call us today at 818-708-3232 to arrange a meeting.