Implant Denture Vs All On Four – A Detailed Look

Implant Denture Vs All On Four – A Detailed Look

4th April 2022

Medical technology has advanced enormously in the new millennium. Dentistry now has quite a few aces up its sleeve and can provide a complete replacement for lost teeth.

Losing teeth is painful. By age 70, an average adult has lost eight teeth and another eight are in precarious condition.

Loss of teeth means the inability to chew and enjoy food. A solid diet gradually gives way to soups and salads.

Dentures help, but they are ugly and feel unnatural. Holding on to remaining teeth with clips, a denture might be cheap but is rudimentary.

Implant Denture Vs All On Four

Implant-Supported Dentures – The solution to all of your woes

Implant-Supported Dentures are a lifesaver for those who want a permanent solution to their tooth problems.

They are halfway between dentures and dental implants.

How does it work?

Between four and six screws are inserted inside the jawbone. The cosmetic dentist allows time for the bone to heal and grow.

When it heals, the jaw bone completely anchors the titanium implants.

A new set of dentures is attached to the implants. Since they snap into place, they are often called snap-on dentures.

Process of inserting Implant-Supported Dentures

The process is quite lengthy and can take anywhere between 8 weeks and 8 months. The duration depends on the rate at which your bones heal.

At first, the dentist would extract any teeth that have caries. The missing teeth would be replaced by Implant Supported Dentures.

In the next step, the surgeon exposes the jaw bone and drills several holes. Inside each, a titanium anchor shaped like a screw is positioned.

The top of the implant is a pin that holds the dentures in place.

The mouth would become swollen from trauma because of surgery. After a week, the swelling recedes and the healing process begins.

X-rays at regular intervals show the growth of new bone tissue around the implant.

At the appropriate time, the dentist would take measurements of the jaw. An impression is taken on a soft substance. This is used to manufacture a denture that rests on the implants.

Benefits of Implant-Supported Dentures

• It is not very expensive and offers relief instantly
• They do not have clasps and hooks
• The snap-on is painless since there are no clasps
• The jaw absorbs the force exerted by chewing instead of the gums
• Implant Supported Dentures have a natural feeling
• The procedure preserves gum tissue and bone as far as possible

What are the downsides of Implant-Supported Dentures?

To replace several teeth, Implant Supported Dentures need about 6-8 implants.

The jaw is not big enough to accommodate so many titanium anchors. As a result, the pins are poorly placed by dentists and cannot offer the support necessary.

We are not saying that Implant Supported Dentures do not work, but they have their drawbacks when compared to All On 4.

What is All On 4?

All On 4 is a brand new approach to dentistry. The procedure is the brainchild of Dr Paulo Malo and Nobel Biocare AB of Sweden. It is a full arch replacement.

In dentistry, an arch means the entire set of teeth on the upper or lower jaw. It consists of 10-14 teeth. All On 4 rests on four implants.

Why is All On 4 superior?

All On 4 dental implants have only four anchors. These two that are located in the posterior part of the jaw, are angled at 45 degrees.

This has an enormous impact on the way the dentures placed on top perform. The pressure is angled down instead of pressing directly at one location.

The result is the use of greater bone mass for anchoring and superior grip.

All On 4 procedure

The procedure is quite the same as Implant Supported Dentures.

The dentist would drill four holes in the jaw and insert a titanium anchor. The two at the rear would be at an angle, and that is what makes a difference to the outcome.

Regardless, as a patient, you would not find it any different. The time required to heal is the same for both procedures. However, the similarity ends there.

Unlike a simple snap-on denture, All On 4 provides implants that hold 2-3 teeth each. The abutment on top of each anchor has several crowns made of porcelain. The result is a prosthetic that looks absolutely the same as your original set of teeth.

What are the costs involved?

Implant-Supported Dentures would cost about £5,500 in the UK. Several clinics might ask for a few hundred pounds more and the figure is indicative.

All On 4 dental implants costs between £14,500 to £18,500. Goes without saying that it is far more expensive than the first option.

Why the difference in cost?

The first treatment is a denture, and the second is a full arch tooth replacement implant. It is technologically more advanced and almost natural.

There is a minor loss of bone tissue when you have an All On 4 procedure. The arch is also of far higher quality.

All On 4 is superior

All On 4 has many benefits.

• Better speech is the primary advantage of All On 4 implants. Dentures impede speech, but All On 4 being an implant is completely natural.
• The other is completely normal chewing. Mastication, or chewing, as it is commonly known, is a complex activity. As the teeth grind food, the tongue moves it around and disperses it. If the bite force is uneven, the chewing will not be perfect and there will be digestive issues.
• Besides the above, All On 4 is longer lasting, and there is zero maintenance and discomfort.

We offer affordable dental care

At Natural Smiles we offer both All On 4 and Implant Supported Dentures. Our trained team is adept at both and will perform to the best of their ability.

We also assure any patient that our costs are most reasonable since our mission is to make treatment affordable and accessible.

Visit us or call us and we shall be glad to discuss the option that is best for you.