Have you been living with missing teeth and looking for the opportunity to smile again? If you’ve already been searching for a treatment that’s powerful, effective and long-lasting, it’s likely you’ve come across the concept of All-on-4®. Like traditional dental implants, it gives you a brand new, natural-looking set of teeth that – unlike dentures – you don’t have to take out to clean or when you go to sleep. But what’s the difference between All-on-4®and traditional dental implants, and which procedure is the right one for you?
Different treatments are more appropriate for different situations. Traditional implants are ideal for patients who have lost one or two teeth. If you have multiple missing or badly damaged teeth, however, there’s a high chance that All-on-4®is the right treatment for you.
Missing teeth are common in Australia and around the world and become more common with age. Around one-quarter of Australians over 75 have badly decayed teeth, while about 20% have a complete loss of all teeth. Common causes include illness, injury and trauma, gum disease and genetic conditions.
Despite their prevalence, missing teeth shouldn’t be ignored. Even a single missing tooth can cause unpleasant complications ranging from trouble chewing to further dental loss to gum disease that can eventually spread to other parts of the body.
If you’ve become used to living with missing teeth, it may feel like it’s a long road to a new set of teeth that allow you to bite and chew the way that you used to. Or a smile that you can proudly show off in photos without feeling self-conscious. But it doesn’t have to be. Book a personal consultation with Next Smile Australia to find out how we can help your situation.
What is All-on-4®?
The All-on-4® treatment is a medically advanced form of dental reconstruction, a type of treatment that involves building you an entirely new smile to replace the one you lost – or, in some cases, never had. Patients who undergo the procedure receive a new set of fully functional and natural-looking prosthetic teeth resting on just four implants: two at the front and two at the back on either the upper or lower jawbone.
Pioneered by Dr Paulo Malo in 1998, it has a clinically proven 98% success rate and has restored the appearance and functionality of natural teeth to hundreds of thousands of patients.
Next Smile Australia offers the treatment at our nationwide network of Super Clinics using ‘the Malo Protocol’, a two-bridge treatment process designed by Dr Paulo Malo himself.
What Are Dental Implants?
Traditional dental implants are a procedure in which titanium screws are inserted into the jawbone one at a time. In order to replace an entire arch of missing teeth, each screw replaces the roots of one missing tooth in the jawbone. The implant fuses with the surrounding bone over time in a process known as osseointegration, which helps keep it in place. Once the implant is secure, the dentist attaches a prosthetic tooth or “crown” to the top.
Dental implants are usually performed in stages over a period of time, with more than one sitting in the dentist’s chair required. If your jawbone lacks the density in parts to support the implants, dental bone grafting may be required. When performed correctly, the outcome of implant surgery is prosthetic teeth that look and feel like your own.
What’s the Difference?
While All-on-4® is a similar type of treatment to traditional implants, there are some significant differences that make it a more effective treatment for those who are candidates for it. Some of the major ones are:
- Traditional implants involve inserting a screw into the jawbone for each missing tooth. The All-on-4® treatment rests an entire bridge of new teeth on only four implants per jaw, which means the operation is less invasive.
- All-on-4® provides you with a new smile in just 24 hours, while a mouthful of standard implants can take up to a few months to complete.
- Traditional implants sometimes require bone grafting for patients whose jawbones are too thin in areas to accommodate them otherwise. All-on-4® uses strategically angulated implants that target stronger areas of the jawbone, avoiding the need for bone grafting by design.
- The All-on-4® treatment gives you the opportunity to step out of our Super Clinic on the day of your surgery and begin enjoying your new teeth. After a few months and osseointegration has taken place you will be eating, drinking, smiling, socialising and doing all the things you used to be able to do with your natural set. Traditional implants have long recovery periods, sometimes with a period of 6-12 months until osseointegration has taken place and the prosthesis (crown or bridge) can be attached.
All-on-4® or Traditional Dental Implants: Which is Better for You?
Since All-on-4® is a significant investment, like all treatments, it’s worth knowing if you’re a suitable candidate. If you’re only missing one or two teeth, chances are traditional single implants are a better treatment option for you. Some signs that you’re the right kind of candidate for All-on-4®, however, are if:
- You have multiple missing or badly damaged teeth that have fallen out or become severely affected due to factors like illness or injury.
- You have advanced-level gum disease.
- You are looking for a denture alternative
- You can’t have your teeth restored by traditional means or don’t see any significant benefits to doing so.
- You have a number of teeth that need replacing (they don’t need to be all missing).
Because the criteria for All-on-4® is very different to single-tooth implants, the way to find out if you’re suitable is to book a personal consultation with Next Smile Australia.
Get All-on-4® at Next Smile Australia
Is the ground-breaking full-arch treatment for you, or would you be better off with traditional implants? Book a personal consultation with Next Smile Australia, and we can answer that question for you.
We make sure all of our team members are driven by our values, which place you, as the patient, at the centre of all we do. We’re dedicated to improving your life through our treatment process, honest about every stage of the process, non-judgemental about your background and committed to staying at the forefront of technology and innovation. This pioneering spirit allows us to continually offer the best and most cutting-edge outcomes.
Every step of your journey will take place at one of our award-winning, medically regulated Super Clinics across the country. Staffed by experienced and empathetic dental surgeons, anaesthetists and support team members, our clinics are designed to offer outcomes our patients will be happy with. They come equipped with facilities and technology to keep every stage of your treatment timeline under one roof. There are in-house dental laboratories, state-of-the-art surgical rooms, in-house X-rays and CBCT scans designed for end-to-end patient safety and excellent standards of treatment.
If you live a long way away from any of our Super Clinics, our accredited partners offer similarly high standards of treatment at locations closer to your home. Apart from your surgery itself and the pre-surgery consultation, which you’ll still have to travel for, an accredited partner can take care of every element of your treatment journey in a convenient and easy-to-access location.
If you’d like to find out more about Next Smile Australia and the All-on-4® treatment, or arrange a personal consultation, get in touch with our team.