All-on-4 and Teeth in a Day are terms used to describe a procedure that allows patients to receive replacement teeth done in just one day. You may hear of other versions of this procedure such as “Teeth in an Hour,“ “Dental Implants in One Day,“ “Teeth In One Day,“ “Teeth In One Visit.” While they go by many names, all refer to a one-day implant treatment, which restores a full arch of replacement teeth.
The All-on-4 treatment, specifically, is used to replace the entire upper or lower set of teeth. The procedure creates a permanent prosthesis by using 4 dental implants which act as an anchor for a bridge or overdenture of 12 to 14 teeth. All-on-4 dental implants can replace both damaged and missing teeth and provide a long-term, permanent alternative to dentures.
Four appliances are placed into the jawbone and gums and left to heal sufficiently before the implant bridge can be secured in place. Once implanted, the bridge will never need to be removed and will resemble the appearance of your natural teeth.
As with all Dental Implants, All-on-4 Dental Implants are placed during an outpatient surgical procedure in Dr. Wieland's office. Most patients will want to take advantage of some sort of sedation for this procedure, in addition to the local anesthetic that will be used.
Learn more about Sedation Dentistry – or “Sleep Dentistry” – here.Before leaving Dr. Wieland's office, the patient is fitted with the prosthetic arch. After the implants have fully integrated with the bone, the patient may return to receive a second, stronger denture.
In the days immediately following the All-on-4 placement procedure, patients should use common sense to determine what they can and cannot do to avoid complications and problems with the implants. Maintain a soft diet for a few weeks and be gentle with your oral hygiene routine (but still keep up with it to minimize the presence of potentially infection-causing bacteria!).
In addition to the short treatment time frame, All-on-4 Dental Implants have a number of advantages over conventional dentures. All-on-4 implants are more stable and secure, greatly reducing the jawbone resorption that occurs with standard dentures, which have no root-like structure to anchor the bone. An implant-supported arch will not slide out of place, and it’s more effective at chewing so patients can maintain a varied diet.
