All-On-4 Dental Implants Waco
Rebuilding Your Smile Without Additional Treatment
If you have a denture and you’re learning about dental implants for the first time, it’s important to know that replacing teeth through this procedure does not mean replacing each individual tooth with a dental implant. In fact, revolutionary treatments like All-On-4 dental implants in Waco provide you with a far more efficient and cost-effective solution to severe tooth loss. To learn more about how the process works or schedule a consultation with one of our dentists, please give us a call!
Why Choose Heart of Texas Smiles General & Cosmetic Dentistry for All-On-4 Dental Implants?
- Three Dental Experts Who Have Years of Experience
- iCam Technology Used for Greater Convenience & Accuracy
- State-of-the-Art Dental Office Designed for Comfort
How Do All-On-4 Dental Implants Work?
To understand how All-On-4 treatment works, you’ll need to know how dental implants work as well. Every dental implant consists of a dedicated post and restoration that sits on top, usually connected by an abutment (or small attachment). These titanium posts are designed to mimic the tooth roots as closely as possible as well as fuse with your existing bone tissue.
When there is not enough bone tissue available for a traditional implant denture, All-On-4 offers an alternative solution. By using just four dental implants placed strategically throughout the jaw, you can hold a dedicated prosthesis and get your smile back!
Am I a Candidate for All-On-4 Dental Implants?
If you suffer from severe tooth loss or you’re missing all of your teeth, you’re likely a viable candidate for All-On-4 dental implant treatment. If you’ve been told in the past that you were not eligible for dental implant treatment due to low bone density, you’ll find that this procedure involves placing implants at specific angles to maximize all available bone tissue. This treatment is also appropriate for those who would prefer not to undergo bone grafting.
With all that said, you will still need to be able to undergo minor surgery and have good oral and overall health. Avoiding bad lifestyle habits that can cause implants to fail, such as smoking and poor oral hygiene, is also important.
Benefits of All-On-4 Dental Implants
All-On-4 stands out in the world of tooth replacement, even compared to other methods for replacing teeth with dental implants. For example:
- There’s no need to worry about removing your denture just to keep it clean. Simply brush and floss as normal to keep plaque at bay. This is sure to be an easier process than having to remove your denture entirely.
- You’ll be able to preserve far more of your jawbone because the implants are regularly stimulating your bone tissue, especially as you chew your favorite foods.
- Thanks to the increased biting force dental implants provide, eating tough or crunchy foods feels natural.
- No one but you and our office will know you even had dental implants placed thanks to your denture’s incredible esthetics!
All-On-4 VS Traditional Dental Implants
All-On-4 and implant dentures tend to be used interchangeably, but they are quite different. For example:
- Because the dental implants are placed the same day as the restoration that attaches to them, you’re able to receive your new smile immediately after your surgery is complete.
- In some cases, implant dentures can require as many as 8 implant posts to hold a prosthesis. That also means longer surgery and higher costs overall. All-On-4 is a very cost-effective solution for severe tooth loss.
- All-On-4 is far less likely to require any type of bone grafting, which can add months and more costs to your treatment.
All-on-4 Dental Implants FAQs
Are All-on-4 dental implants covered by insurance?
Most dental insurance policies do cover some of the costs related to All-on-4s after you’ve met the deductible. It’s typical for coverage to apply to the denture portion of the restoration, but not the implant posts.
If you’re worried about being able to afford All-on-4 dental implants in Waco, you may be interested in our Quality Dental Plan or flexible financing options.
What foods can you eat after getting All-on-4 dental implants?
During post-op recovery, we recommend sticking to a soft food diet and taking care to stay hydrated. Once your mouth has healed, your All-on-4s will be strong enough to handle all of your favorite meals – though it is still best to be cautious of excessively hard and crunchy foods, as they could damage the denture portion of your restoration.
Here are some examples of what we would consider to be “excessively” hard or crunchy:
- Popcorn kernels
- Nuts
- Hard candy
- Ice cubes
Do All-on-4 dental implants take a long time to heal?
In addition to the healing process, it’s important to also take the osseointegration process into consideration for recovery timelines.
The gum tissue near your implants will likely heal in about two weeks, though everyone heals a little differently.
Osseointegration – the natural process where the implant posts will fuse together with your jawbone – can take anywhere between three and six months.
Just like with other dental implant restorations in Waco, it’s vital for All-on-4s to complete osseointegration smoothly. Otherwise, the restoration could very well fail. We’ll schedule regular check-ins to monitor the osseointegration process, and might ask you to continue with a soft food diet to avoid disturbing your jawbone.
Can I replace both arches of teeth at the same time?
It’s definitely possible. However, this will ultimately depend on your X-ray and oral exam results. In some situations, it’s better to place the upper and lower sets of teeth separately. In others, either the upper or lower jawbone is too weak to support dental implants, and only one set of teeth can be replaced with a dental implant restoration.
Rest assured, this is something we’ll cover during your consultation.
Do All-on-4 dentures look as natural as regular implant dentures?
Yes! They might be designed a bit differently, but All-on-4s are just as meticulously crafted and customized as regular implant dentures. In fact, that’s one of the reasons we use a digital impression system. They record dental measurements much more accurately than traditional gray putty and help produce better-fitting restorations.
The base of the denture and the shade of the replacement teeth will also be carefully selected to look as natural as possible. After your All-on-4s are fabricated, we can make adjustments until you’re satisfied with their aesthetics.
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