Your family dentist offers a number of options for replacing lost and damaged teeth. There are some advantages of the All-on-4 dental implants over traditional dental implants.

For example:

• All-on-4 dental implants use only four implants per arch, (meaning 4 on the top and 4 on the bottom) while traditional implants may require six to eight implants (or more) in each arch.

• The All-on-4 procedure requires no bone grafting for most patients, while bone grafting is fairly common in traditional implant procedures. The All-on-4 generally eliminates the bone reabsorption that can occur with traditional implants.

• Sinus augmentation is sometimes required for traditional implants, and is not an issue with an All-on-4 procedure.

• The All-on-4 implants are placed at an angle, which allows for increased contact using the natural support of your bone, which can make the implants fit more securely than traditional implants.

• The time required to complete the surgery is about two and a half hours per arch. It typically takes about an hour per tooth for traditional implants, so replacing an entire arch is much faster with an All-on-4 than traditional implants.

• Traditional Implants often require multiple visits to the oral surgeon, whereas an All-on-4 procedure generally requires only two procedures, and has a significantly shorter healing time.

• There is a uniformity with an All-on-Four, which can improve your looks. You can have a perfect smile. All of your teeth will have the correct angle, the same shade, and spacing.

Dr. Keith Phillips of Distinctive Dentistry has a great deal of expertise in the field of All-on-4 dental implants. He is a contributing author to the gold-standard textbook “Implant Aesthetics” and teaches other dentists both nationally and internationally about cutting edge techniques in dental implants and other aspects of advanced prosthodontics.

Distinctive Dentistry is located in Fife Washington, with easy access just off the freeway. Come see us. We treat our patients like family!