Because this procedure with Dr. Garza doesn’t require the bone mass that traditional implant placement does, there are few limitations on having this procedure. There isn’t an age limit, however, patients should be missing all or most of their teeth.

For a patient that has been missing all of his or her teeth, the life changes made by All-on-4 implants are hard to sufficiently detail. Instantly the patient can smile confidently, eat a normal diet again, speak more clearly, and feel a real boost in self-confidence. These are just some of the benefits associated with the All-on-4 implant system.

• Eat a normal, diverse diet without worrying: Because your new teeth are fully anchored into your jawbone, you can now return to a normal diet.
• Return to a confident smile: Your new teeth will function, feel, and look just like natural teeth. You will have your smile back!
• Acquire a complete set of fully functioning teeth in a short amount of time: The All-on-4 implant procedure takes around 2.5 hours per arch, and you will have temporary functioning teeth the same day. These will be replaced with your permanent teeth when your implants have fully healed and solidified.
• Chew and bite with confidence: Your anchored new teeth will give you a bite force with 70 percent more power than dentures.
• Teeth for life: Your four or eight implants are permanent, and your new teeth can last the rest of your life.
• Implants without painful bone grafts: If you’ve lost jawbone mass you won’t need to suffer through the bone grafting often required with traditional implants.
• Put an end to further bone loss: Your implants will now transfer bite force energy down into your jawbone. This energy triggers the jawbone to continually create new bone cells, the key to healthy bone mass.

Another amazing thing about this method of implant placement is that it can be done, in most cases, in just a single day. The first step, if necessary, is to remove any remaining damaged teeth. Dr. Garza will also thoroughly clean out and remove any diseased gum tissue. From there the actual placement of your implants takes just two and a half hours per arch.

We begin the process with a CT scan of your jawbone. This shows Dr. Garza the overall condition of your jawbone, and lets him plot the best locations for the eight implants. Next, we will use a computer simulation to map out the implant locations within your mouth. We’ll also take impressions to create your temporary false teeth.

For the actual placement, we can use local or general anesthesia. We place the two back implants at an angle and the front implants vertically. The implants get their name from the titanium “implant” that is screwed down into the jawbone. For the angled implants, Dr. Garza will drill a tiny hole to start the implant. The vertical implants are usually placed in sockets formerly occupied by the natural tooth roots. After the implants are placed, a post, called an abutment, is attached to each implant. The final step is to attach a temporary set of teeth to the four posts top and bottom. You’re done for now. Since the implants are not fully integrated, at this point you’ll eat a soft diet.

During a period of 3-6 months, depending on how fast your jawbone grows, the implants will become fully accepted by the jawbone, which grows around them. When Dr. Garza is confident the implants are fully integrated into the jaw, he replaces your temporary prostheses with your permanent teeth. Now, you’re good to go. Patients can eat what they want and show their beautiful new teeth to the world.

The problem with missing teeth isn’t simply cosmetic or tooth function, missing teeth also affect a person’s jawbone mass. When you have a full mouth of natural teeth, these teeth transfer the intense energy created by biting and chewing down through the teeth into the jawbone beneath. This energy signals the jawbone to continually shed old cells and replace them with new bone tissue. This keeps the jaw healthy.

When a person is missing most or all of their teeth, their jawbone no longer receives this energy, so it begins to deteriorate, a process called resorption. The jaw can appear as if it is retreating backwards. This is typical of many people who have been missing all of their teeth for a long period of time. It is also why dentures need to be refit continuously.

While All-on-4 doesn’t deliver the full amount of energy into the jaw through an entire set of teeth, it does return energy through the four implants on the upper and lower arches. Plus, your nutrition is affected adversely by missing teeth and slipping dentures. This leads to nutritional deficiencies in areas such as nuts, fruits, and vegetables, which can present problems when a person is missing teeth or has dentures. All-of-4 implants will give you confidence when eating, smiling, and just talking with others.