Are All-on-4 dental implants right for you?
Did you know that approximately 30% of Americans between 65 and 74 years old have no natural teeth left? But older adults aren’t the only ones whose teeth might need some extra care. Over 178 million Americans are missing at least one tooth, and 40 million have no teeth at all. But is there more than one way to replace a tooth? You may have heard of implants, All-on-4, or implant-supported dentures and wondered why there are multiple options. You just want your teeth back!
The truth is many factors go into deciding which option is best for you, and an experienced implant surgeon like Dr. Bentz can help you understand your best options. Your overall health and dental health, how many teeth you need replaced, and other factors help your doctor guide you to the best option for you.
For many people who have lost all their teeth, All-on-4 dental implants are a great tooth replacement option. Let’s look at 10 advantages you can expect from All-on-4 dental implants.
What are All-on-4 dental implants?
A dental implant consists of a titanium post that is inserted into your jawbone. This post is allowed to fuse with the bone and provides an excellent replacement for your tooth’s natural root.
When you have lost all your teeth, replacing them one by one with individual implants can be time-consuming and costly. However, All-on-4 implants consist of an entire customized arch mounted on just four posts.
1. Teeth That Look and Feel Natural
Perhaps the number one selling point for All-on-4 dental implants is their natural look and feel. The “root” gives them the same strength as natural teeth and helps to support your jawbone and facial structure.
No one looking at you will be able to tell that all your teeth are fake — unless you tell them. Plus, they are so comfortable that you might even forget after a while!
2. Eat What You Like
With dentures and other tooth replacement options, you often have to be aware of what you eat. Sticky or crunchy foods are a particular challenge, and accidents can happen. However, All-on-4 teeth are firmly rooted in your jawbone.
You won’t want to go overboard and chew on ice cubes every day, but you can generally enjoy all the foods you love without worrying about your teeth.
3. Easy Maintenance
Do you brush and floss your teeth daily? Great! That’s all you have to do to maintain your implants.
It’s impossible to get cavities in the false teeth themselves, but that doesn’t mean you can be lax about your dental hygiene. Brush and floss to ensure that bacteria doesn’t build up in your mouth and cause gum disease.
4. Avoid Health Issues
A solid tooth replacement option like All-on-4 implants helps fend off periodontal disease. While you typically might worry about periodontal disease as it concerns your oral health, it can also affect other parts of your body. For example, there is a link between periodontal disease and major health problems, like cardiovascular disease and cancer.
5. Support for the Jawbone
Your jawbone needs teeth to support it. Without this support, the bone will begin to degrade. As the bone wears away, it will cause the face to sag, resulting in that iconic droopy face look you sometimes see in older adults.
6. Prevent Bone Loss
Implants are an excellent way to support the jawbone and prevent bone loss. Furthermore, implanting the titanium posts can stimulate the regrowth of lost bone.
Some people may have lost enough bone that they’ll need bone grafts to provide enough healthy bone to support the implant. Others can simply have the implants installed and allow the bone to repair itself.
7. Take Years Off Your Smile
Gaps in your smile and the resulting bone loss can make your face sag. This is a visual cue to how old you are, even if we don’t realize it overtly. Want to appear younger? Get some implants to fill the gaps and support your facial structure.
8. Self-Esteem Boost
It doesn’t do much for your self-esteem to walk around with a gap in your smile. It’s even worse when most or all of your teeth are missing. All-on-4 dental implants instantly give you a self-esteem boost by restoring your smile to its former glory (or becoming even better).
9. Permanent Solution
Dental implants mimic natural teeth and are rooted firmly in your mouth. As long as you take proper care of your implants, you can expect them to be a permanent solution to your dental woes. Most people do not have to have their implants redone over the course of their lives.
10. Cost-Effective
At first, All-on-4 dental implants can seem more expensive than other tooth replacement options like dentures. However, as we just mentioned, implants can last your whole life. Dentures will wear out and need to be replaced every few years. You might pay a little more up front for your implants, but you’ll pay a lot more over the course of your life if you have to replace your dentures several times.
The Best Dental Implants
By now, you might be Googling “how much do All-on-4 dental implants cost near me?” This option offers an amazing array of benefits but only if they’re installed correctly. Reach out to the dental experts at the Bentz Dental Implant & Prosthodontic Center. We’ll help you decide on the perfect tooth replacement option for your situation.