All on 4 Dental Implants: Great for Skydiving

Here’s the story if you haven’t already seen it on the YouTube video that went viral:

Polly Chester, a 72-year-old grandmother from Virginia, had skydiving on her bucket list. She came to Florida to realize her dream. As she and her instructor were diving, Polly had a big smile on her face. After a few seconds in the sky, her dentures flew out of her mouth and hit her instructor on the forehead. They completed the jump safely and she can cross skydiving off her bucket list, although it did cost her the price of a new set of dentures.

Granny Loses Dentures While Skydiving in Florida

Dentures from the Harvard University Dental School Museum. The front teeth are porcelain and the back molars are carved from ivory.

Of course, that story got us talking about dentures, one of Dr. Stone’s favorite topics. He loves doing dentures because of the satisfaction he gets from seeing a patient’s quality of life improve when dentures are placed.

Traditional dentures have come a long way.

In the 1800s, they were fashioned from porcelain and ivory and held together with metal springs. Not many people could afford a set of porcelain and ivory dentures in those days, so it was only a privileged few who had access to dentures.

Things began to change when Charles Goodyear perfected the process of molding a soft rubber, called vulcanite, into dentures. Dentists began making dentures from vulcanite and they slowly began to be more accessible to many patients.

A box of vulcanite dentures in the British Dental Association Dental Museum

Today, dentures are custom made, look better than ever and can even enhance facial bone structure, like a face lift.

Traditional dentures do have drawbacks, though, because:

• they have to be taken out and cleaned nightly
• they need an adhesive to prevent sliding they can cause discomfort and ulcerations if not properly placed
• the upper denture has a hard plate that presses on the upper palate and can cause discomfort, sores and also impair taste …

… and they can fly out of your mouth if you smile while you’re skydiving.

An alternative to traditional dentures are All-on-4s.

All on Four Dental Implants

All-on-4s consist of an upper and lower set of teeth that are held securely in place by Dental Implants. Four Dental Implants are used to hold the teeth in the upper jaw and four Dental Implants are used to hold the teeth in the lower jaw.

All-on-4s look and feel like natural teeth and can only be removed by your dentist. There are no special products needed to clean them or keep them in place. You care for them in the same way that you would care for your natural teeth.

Bone loss occurs in the jaw when teeth are lost and give the face a sunken look. The Dental Implants that hold the All-in-4s in place actually stimulate bone growth in the jaw and the teeth themselves are custom made to enhance your facial structure. Whether you’re going skydiving or just out to dinner, and want to feel confident about your smile, give us a call. We will be happy to answer any questions you have about All-on-4s and to arrange a free consultation.