All-on-4 Dental Implants are attached to 4 secured posts, so they don’t slip or slide. They feel and act like natural teeth.
One of the most gratifying things that we do in our practice, is to restore the function and beauty of our patients’ teeth in just a few visits and at a reasonable cost. All-on-4s have proven to be a great tool for patients who want comfortable and natural looking dentures. All-on-4s are held in place with Dental Implants, that encourage bone growth and enhance facial bone structure.
Decades of research and technical advances have led to the creation of All-on-4s.
If you are considering getting dentures, understanding how All-on-4s came into being and how they work can give you the information you need to make the best possible choice.
The Discovery and Use of Dental Implants
Humans have been replacing their missing teeth for hundreds of years. Archeologists have found Mayan skulls, dating back to 600 A.D., that have teeth made of seashells, jade and other materials, fused into the jawbone.
In the 1940s, researchers observed that titanium implants, placed in the bones of animals, were impossible to remove after a few weeks of being put into place. Although they made this observation, it wasn’t until the 1960s that this observation was put to practical use.
Per-Ingvar Brånemark was a Swedish physician and researcher. Like others before him, Brånemark observed the way in which bone integrated around a titanium tube when it was placed into bone. Brånemark called the process osseointegration and saw the potential of osseointegration for human use.
In 1965, Brånemark placed dental implants into the mouth of a very complex patient. The implants were a success and served the patient well for forty years, until his death in 2005.
Even with his success, it took years before Brånemark’s work was accepted by the scientific community. Unable to get funding for his research at the University of Gothenburg, where he was a professor of anatomy, Brånemark opened a private clinic in order to continue to treat his patients. It wasn’t until a conference in Toronto in 1983 that the scientific community began to recognize the importance and validity of his work. Once his work was accepted and understood, Brånemark received honors from medical institutions around the world, including the Harvard School of Dental Medicine. Brånemark partnered with the Swedish company, Nobel Biocare, to manufacture the products needed to place Dental Implants.
Brånemark died in 2014, at the age of 85. His son, Rickard, is a Doctor of Orthopedic Oncology, Orthotics and Prosthetics and has pioneered studies in the use of titanium implants in limb prostheses.
The Creation of All-on-4s
Nobel Biocare Headquarters, Kloten, Switzerland
For patients who are missing only one, or several teeth, Dental Implants work very well.
Those who are missing many, or all, teeth, often had to settle for ill-fitting dentures that cause gum irritation, sore mouths, limited choice of foods and nightly cleaning rituals.
After years of research, Dr. Paulo Malo was able to successfully place All-on-4 dentures in a patient who was missing all teeth. Malo’s research, combined with the technical skill of the scientists at Nobel Biocare, have created a way to provide patients with missing teeth with the most comfortable, healthy and beautiful way to replace their teeth.
The advantages of All-on-4s are many:
- comfort
- bone growth stimulated at implant sites
- no hard upper plate, like those on conventional upper dentures
- can be used for patients with some bone loss, thanks to advanced implants and technique
- cared for like natural teeth, so no need for nightly soaks
- lower cost than complete set of individual Dental Implants
- beautiful and long-lasting
Dr. Stone and All-on-4s
Dr. Stone is a specialist in tooth replacement, a Prosthodontist, and has been placing dental implants surgically since 1991.
Dr. Stone says that he loves the satisfaction he gets from fashioning All-on-4s for his patients. As a Prosthodontist, Dr. Stone is expert at restoring patient’s oral health and facial bone structure.
Contact us today to have any questions answered and to make an appointment for an assessment.
