All on 4 is a way to replace a full arch of teeth using four dental implants that support a fixed set of new teeth. It is usually a good fit for people who have lost most or all of their teeth, or who are tired of removable dentures that slip or need adhesive.
At Penn Family Dental in DuBois, our team starts with an exam and images of your jaw to see if your bone can support the implants. If the plan moves forward, the four implants are placed in the jaw during a surgical appointment, often with a temporary set of teeth attached the same day. After your mouth heals over the next few months, the implants bond with the bone, and you come back for your final set of teeth. The surgery itself usually takes a few hours, and the full process from start to final teeth often spans several months.
The teeth stay put. Because they are anchored to implants, they do not shift while you talk or eat, and there is no need for adhesive or nightly soaking the way there is with standard dentures.
Using four implants per arch often means less hardware and, for many patients, less need for bone grafting than older implant methods. Dr. Minaya will check whether your bone is strong enough or whether a graft is needed first, but the four implant approach is designed to make the most of the bone you already have.
Recovery takes patience. For the first week or two, swelling and soreness are normal, and most people stick to soft foods while the area heals. You will keep the implants clean by brushing and rinsing as directed, and you come back for follow up visits so we can confirm the implants are healing well. Once everything has settled, caring for your new teeth looks a lot like caring for natural ones.
If you are missing all or nearly all of your teeth on an arch, All on 4 gives you a fixed replacement instead of a plate that comes in and out. Many people come to us after years of struggling with loose dentures and want something that feels more like their own teeth.
It also helps people whose remaining teeth are too damaged or decayed to save. When teeth are failing one after another, replacing the whole arch at once can be simpler than repairing them one at a time, though if only a single tooth is damaged, a dental crown may be the better choice.
Not everyone is a candidate, and that is honest to say upfront. People with very low bone volume, uncontrolled health conditions, or heavy smoking habits may heal poorly, and some are better served by traditional dentures or another plan. Dr. Minaya will look at your specific situation and talk through the options that fit you.
