There are now more people with edentulism and there’s a higher demand for new teeth as a result.
Around 37 million Americans will need some form of new teeth by 2020. With the average lifespan increasing, there are greater numbers of people that need new teeth than in the past.
Dentures were the standard solution but the recent issue of the Journal of Oral Implantology presents a new idea. The “All-on-Four” therapy is a system that uses four implants to support a fixed prosthesis. This enables the patient to have their new teeth placed the same day as the surgery.
Clinical studies indicate that patients with dentures only have a small improvement in quality of life when compared to patients who’ve undergone implant therapy. The patients with dentures still complain about discomfort, pain and they have trouble eating. These issues sparked the idea of a new way to replace teeth.
This new treatment utilizes available bone to the fullest, providing the opportunity for functionality at the onset. There are two implants toward the front and two near the back. These implants serve to support a fixed, full-arch prosthesis the same day the surgery occurs. The success or failure of this procedure is determined by how long it lasts and the comfort level of the patient.
A study was conducted among 165 patients, averaging an age of 59. There were 708 implants in the study. There was no major difference regarding the survival rates of the implants in the maxilla and mandible jaw. At the end of the study, it was determined there was a survival rate in 99.6 percent of the implants.
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