I went for my first consult with 3-d cone scan. My prosthodontist was totally against all on 4 even though I’m missing 6 front . He said as long as you have teeth try and save them. He said if I go with the all on 4 they will have to sand the bone away in the front very thin so the implant gum shows and I’m young so most likely it will fail within 5 years. Is that true? He wat to go with a implant supported bridge not sure what the difference is. We have another consult Wednesday He said he was going to sit down with the x-rays and make a action plan. Just trying to figure is motive out.
31 Responses
It’s always advisable to get multiple opinions. Get his action plan, then make an appointment with someone else to se what they say.
Jeff W. Exactly. You don’t need want to rush this. Do your research and check out all options. You know, implant supported dentures also known as locator denture are not that bad. It beats not having the palate nor a need for adhesive every day like what I have to do at the moment. You are more in control with the implant supported denture and is have the cost, even cheaper with mini implants as well.
If you are missing only front teeth and the back teeth are in good condition and the occlusion is fine then no need for an all on 4 (where all teeth in the jaw are missing) However we can’t say much here as we dont really know the situation
I’m missing some teeth and got implants, definitely saving my leftover teeth.
People are wanting to get rid of their not so perfect teeth over perfect looking implant crowns and dentures – not so healthy perfect natural teeth are far superior.
Catherine G. all on 4 is amazing and the whole save you own teeth is a waste unless it’s one or two teeth.
Get a second opinion. Sorry, saving what you have is a waste of time and money. All on 4 has a high success rate than individual implants. They did not sand any of my bone down to do mine .
Holy smokes… I would go get a second opinion. Why on earth would they say that to you?? He’s about to offer you a treatment plan that will cost 2 to 3 times the cost of AO4, and absolutely could fail over time.
J C. Marie if she’s only missing the front 6 & they suggest an implant supported bridge it may actually be way cheaper than an all on four.
At least for me it was. My implant supported bridge that covers 5 teeth will only be about 7-8k. Where an all on four is 20-25k for just top.
Sarah my concern is the provider telling her that AO4 implants will fail within 5 years… yet offering her an implant supported bridge. And AO4 is only $32k for a full mouth.
J C. Marie where can you get AO4 for $32000?
Jeanne G4 by Golpa has locations in Virginia, Dallas and Las Vegas. I went to the Virginia office 🙂
J C. Marie yeah I was gonna say only golpa does them that cheap. She didn’t say that’s where she was going so unless you choose expensive ass clear choice everywhere else is around 20k per arch.
I don’t know why they would say they would fail unless she wasn’t a good candidate for only 4 implants. We would need more information on that. I just went through this whole thing too & decided to do an implant bridge & 2 implants on the other side. Once you shave the bone you have no other options, if only 6 of the teeth are bad id try to keep them especially if the costs aren’t massively different. My implants ended up being way cheaper then the ao4. I start on 6/15.
I was to get mine evened out too. But after they got my front teeth out. It was fine 😊 huge scare for nothing
I like him already 👍🏽.
I would get other opinions. I’m 32, and went to a place that specializes in dentures and implants. They had zero problem with me getting full snap in dentures.
Yes get a second opinion or maybe a third as well to see what the comparison are I had only 6 teeth left on top me n my dentist same to conclusion to remove them I did a denture but what’s happy got opinion for implants three different places all were saying the same thing so I went with the all on 4
Sounds like an excellent dentist 👏🏼
Implant supported bridge works for my front bottom 4 missing teeth. Flossing is different though.
Rick P., I have one on top. That floss for braces works really well.
I have all on four for 11 years with absolutely no problem.
The first dentist I went to told me the same thing about saving my “good” teeth. I knew that’s not what I wanted. I found a reputable dentist who listened to me and I’m three weeks post op from getting my lower AO4. I’m sooo happy I did it and I’m not even in my permanent arch yet!
I had all on 6 procedure in October last year and due to have permanent teeth next month. I am worried that the permanent teeth might be uncomfortable like the temporary are. Can anyone who had all o 4 let me know if there is any differences to the permanent teeth, are they more comfortable, can you speak properly. I don’t think I did enough research before my procedure. I now regret not looking at other options. I think my advice to anyone is, save your own teeth if you can. Thanks.
Joseph
There’s a lot to think about with removing all the good teeth. Here’s some stuff I tried to consider.
1. You’ll permanently have a piece attached to your gums. Not everyone adjusts to it well. & they will never be the same as your natural teeth.
2. Costs, compare the costs between the a04 & the implants. If they aren’t massive, I would keep your real teeth.
3. The future, once you do an all on four. They shave the bone, if technology changes for implants in the next 10 years you may not have the option to ever do anything different then the a04.
Can they place your implants so you can use them for an a04 down the line if needed.
I went through this same choice & im going to try to save mine. I figure even if they only last 10 years, that’s 10 more years with real teeth vs having fake teeth. Which my age was a big factor in that part of the choice. Tech will most likely change & there may better cheaper better options in a few years. Just look how much it’s changed in the past 10.
I know it’s a big choice. See a few doctors & then go with your gut. Even talking out loud to someone about the pros & cons can help you figure out which way you lean.
Sarah Elizabeth C. good advice!
Sarah Elizabeth C. shave your bone? They definitely didn’t do this for me.
Lindsay H. when you get an all on four they shave your bone. It’s not always the entire way around, sometimes it’s just in certain places but they do it so the piece sits flush. The bone needs to be smooth so the piece can be attached so the gum line doesn’t show.
If you had multiple extractions at once it was probably done & you may not even know. Usually it’s done at the same time, some people with massive bone loss may have it as separate surgery. One of the dentists in this group may be able to better answer when it doesn’t need to be done.
Sarah Elizabeth C. definitely didn’t have this done. I’d have noticed since I was aware throughout. I’m in Europe.
Sounds like a great dentist
You really need to listen to your dentist instead of look g for dental advice on a group forum. You will get so many different stories. This group is for sharing experiences and support. Not the advice of a professional dentist. Good luck next week.
Micki P. If dentists were honest we would not be on the forum.