All on 4 implants are a new product from dental implant manufacturer Nobel Biocare. It allows for a full bridge of teeth to be placed on 4 dental implants. In addition an immediately loaded full arch prosthetis is then placed on the implants. Larger implants are placed at an angle in the jaw, this provides a bigger anchor for the dental bridge and increases the amount of implant that can fuse with the jaw bone, thus enabling four implants to support a full bridge.

The advantages of the “All-on-4″ technique include:

• It is cheaper than having a full compliment of dental implants, or even 8 or 10 implants supporting a dental bridge, fitted.
• The procedure allows for immediate loading meaning a patient may be able to have the bridge loaded on the same day the implants are fitted (Please note this is only if all indictions are positive).
• Less implants will take less time to place.

Implant manufacturer Bredent have produced a similiar dental implant system which uses 6 implants in the upper jaw. Clinical trials conducted on this system resulted in a 97.3% success rate for patients with up to 5 years from placement. These results would seem to indicate medium term success for these full bridge on reduced implant systems.

The system does have some critics and they generally focus on the lack of clinical data to support the long term sustainability of the system. Although tests at the 5 year stage have been poistive some experts have concerns if 4 implants can hold a full brace for a long period of time. Their concerns are greater about the upper jaw. The concerns they raise concerning longevity include:

• The pressure on the 4 implants will be greater than say if 8 or 10 implants were used to support a bridge. It remains to be seen how the implants and the bridge will cope with the increased pressure on limited points.
• Some bone atrophy may still occur in gaps between the implants.
• If the system fails replacing implants is a more complicated procedure.

We hope this anaylsis of the potential costs and benefits helps. Please contact us if you have any questions and we can put you in touch with experts to further discuss All-on-4.