You might think that tooth replacement is an unpleasant experience that will leave you wearing uncomfortable dentures for the rest of your life, but that no longer has to be the case. Tooth replacement can be a rewarding experience with dental implants.
With implants, a prosthetic tooth is placed on a dental implant that’s inserted into the jaw. The implant itself acts as the root of the tooth, so unlike with regular dentures, implants aren’t removable. They act just like natural teeth in that you can just brush and floss every day (There is no need to remove your teeth before you go to sleep). Implanted teeth won’t move in your mouth or fall out while you talk or eat. By replacing your teeth with dental implants, you once again can enjoy the same convenience you did before losing your real teeth.
Often times, dental implants are used only to replace a few single teeth that had to be extracted for whatever reason. But having all of your teeth replaced with individual dental implants can end up being very expensive. For every tooth, an implant will have to be inserted into the jaw and a single crown must be made to fit on every implant. If going this route for replacing your teeth is financially within your reach, it may be option, but most people who need a whole set of new teeth find themselves unable to afford a separate dental implant and crown for every tooth.
All-on-Four: Affordable Implants to Replace All Your Teeth
All-on-4 Dental Implants combine the best of Dentures and Dental Implants
Because traditional dental implants aren’t accessible for many patients who need to replace all of their teeth, a procedure aiming to make implants available to edentulous patients at a more affordable cost was developed.
All-on-Four Implants don’t require a separate implant post and crown for replacing each tooth. Instead, four dental bridges, (each with three or four teeth on) are supported by your dental implants. To replace all the teeth in your upper and lower jaws, you’ll only need eight dental bridges – four bridges for your upper jaw and four bridges for your lower jaw. This not only cuts back on the cost of getting your teeth replaced with dental implants, but also makes the procedure much faster.
After your initial consultation, your dentist will be able to do all of the surgical work to insert your implants and fit your new teeth to the implants in a single day.
Once your new teeth have been successfully implanted, your mouth will need some time to heal from the surgery, so you’ll need to eat softer foods for about two months to allow the implants to become properly attached to the bone in your jaw. But if you’re used to wearing dentures, you probably only ate soft foods prior to getting implants, so it won’t be too difficult to keep eating soft foods for another month or two after getting implants.
Financing All-on-Fours
Dr. Stone is a specialist in tooth replacement, a Prosthodontist, and has been placing dental implants surgically since 1991.
Even though all-on-fours significantly cuts the cost of replacing all of your teeth with implants, the procedure can still be rather costly. While many insurance companies do cover much of the cost associated with getting dental implants, some classify them as a cosmetic procedure and are unwilling to pay for implants. Other companies recognize the health benefits associated with getting dental implants and are willing to cover at least part of the cost.
For further assistance, Dr. Stone’s practice offers patients the option to pay with a CareCredit card. This would allow you to pay for dental work in monthly installments that fit your budget. An on-site laboratory also helps to reduce the cost of implants, dentures and veneers and makes these kinds of advanced dental work accessible to more of our patients.
The good thing about implants is that they can last a lifetime, meaning that the high cost you invest initially is likely to pay off later. Unlike with dentures, you probably won’t ever need to get new implants and you certainly won’t need to have your implants refitted and adjusted.
If you’re considering Dr. Stone about getting all-on-four implants, you’ll be glad to learn that he’s a qualified prosthodontist who has been practicing as a dental specialist in Fort Lauderdale for more than thirty years. As a prosthodontist, he specializes in helping patients improve their dental health through the use of dental prosthetics. This means that helping patients with all-on-four implants, single tooth implants, dentures and dental bridges is exactly what Dr. Stone specializes in. While it’s possible to find another dentist to perform the all-on-four implants procedure, a prosthodontist is usually the best choice for patients who need dental implants.
