We’re proud to offer in-house implant placement here at the Little Rock Family Dental Care Center. Even patients who have lost most or all of their teeth can once again enjoy a full, sturdy smile with implant-retained dentures. But how many implants will it take to solve the most extensive cases of tooth loss? Thanks to modern techniques and technology, the answer could be as little as 6 or even 4! Call us today to learn more about the All-on-4 and All-on-6 procedures and how they can give you a strong, sturdy smile you’ll be able to enjoy for years.
Both procedures are a way to replace an entire arch of teeth. Basically, if most or all of the teeth in the upper or lower jaw are missing, you could be a candidate for this procedure. Obviously, the numbers refer to how many implants are used during the procedure. Otherwise, though, they are quite similar in that they simplify the overall process. Fewer dental implants means there is less time required for healing, meaning you’ll be able to enjoy the benefits of your new permanent dentures much sooner than you would if traditional techniques had been used instead.
After numbing your mouth (and administering sedation if you’re feeling anxious or might have trouble sitting still), we will make small incisions in your gums and proceed to insert the implant posts into the jawbone at specific predetermined locations. Once the implants are in your mouth, they will slowly become part of the jawbone through a process called osseointegration. That way they can act as “roots” for the dentures they support. Implant-retained dentures are usually fixed in place, although we can make them removable if you would prefer.
Your permanent dentures cannot be placed until the posts have completely fused with the jawbone. For a normal implant procedure, this would mean that you wouldn’t have any teeth at all while you were waiting. But the techniques used during the All-on-4 or All-on-6 procedure can sometimes make it possible to place temporary dentures right away. This is largely thanks to the positions of the posts; by angling the implants near the back of the mouth so that they join with the densest areas of the jaw, we can make them stable enough to support a temporary restoration, which is made out of lighter material.
Thanks to our in-house surgeons and prosthodontist, we can perform the entire dental implant procedure right here without having to refer you to an outside provider at any point during the process. That means sticking with a team that you know you can trust from the beginning to the end of your treatment. Call us today for a consultation to learn more about All-on-4 and All-on-6.