All-on-4® Dental Implants
Silverdale, WA
All on 4 Dental Implants provided by Dr. Kasey Gillespie, DDS
in Silverdale, WA at Life Long Dental
 When you lose your teeth, several things start to happen. The first and most obvious, consequence of missing teeth is the impact on your smile. Other effects include difficulty eating and speaking. Under the gums, your jawbone begins to weaken, altering the shape of your face and causing you to appear older. At Life Long Dental, we offer several options for replacing missing teeth, including partnering with specialists to provide the All-on-4® treatment concept.
Dental Implants
Traditionally, when you suffered from tooth loss, the answer was dentures. Today, however, dental implants offer you an alternative. Implants are small titanium rods that are surgically placed in your jaw. As you heal, the jawbone fuses to the rods, and the rods become like "roots." Rather than your gums supporting your false teeth, as is the case with dentures, the rods provide the support.
The All-on-4® Treatment Concept
Typically, when implants are used to replace an entire arch of missing teeth, anywhere from 6 to 8 implants are placed in your jaw. The exact number needed are determined based on your comprehensive oral exam. The All-on-4® treatment concept, however, reduces the number of implants to 4. If you need your entire mouth of teeth replaced, that means you only need 8 implants. The All-on-4® treatment concept is often used on patients who have suffered some bone loss in their jaw, and are ineligible for regular dental implant surgery. The All-on-4® treatment concept works as a result of the implant placement. Two implants are placed vertically at the front of your mouth. The other two implants are placed at the back of the mouth at a 45-degree angle.
All-on-4® Treatment Concept Procedure
Dr. Gillespie works with a team of specialists to place your dental implants. Like regular dental implants, the All-on-4® treatment concept is a surgical procedure. Before getting started, a local anesthetic is administered to the surgical sites. Incisions are made in your gum tissue, exposing the jawbone. Our team of specialists drill into your jaw at the appropriate angles and place the titanium rods. Your gums will be stitched up around the rods, leaving a small portion exposed above the tissue. We will supply you with a set of temporary teeth to go home with, allowing you to eat and speak properly while you heal.
Healing will take several weeks, during which time your jawbone will regenerate, and fuse to the rods. During this time, we will closely monitor the progression of your jaw. Once you have healed, abutments are placed onto the rods and impressions are taken of your mouth. These impressions are used to create your permanent teeth. When those teeth are ready, they are screwed into place.
Benefits of All-on-4® Treatment Concept
There are some benefits involved with the All-on-4® treatment concept:
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Your jawbone is preserved. The implants act like the roots of your natural teeth and stimulate your jawbone. This helps to prevent bone loss typically associated with tooth loss.
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4 implants mean less surgery.
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Less time is required for healing.
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With the All-on-4® treatment concept, those who would otherwise not be able to get implants can enjoy the freedom that implants have to offer. |
If you are interested in dental implants, and the All-on-4® treatment concept, contact Life Long Dental at (360) 633-2377 to learn more and schedule your consultation today! |
