These are very popular procedures to restore a totally edentulous (no teeth) jaw bone. They are the preferred choice for patients who lost their teeth before, or they need to get them extracted due to different illnesses.
Nowadays digital dentistry can give very accurate and beautiful results in such cases. As the name states all on 4 means a full set of teeth made of different materials supported and retained by 4 dental implants per jaw bone, it means the same for all on 6.
The choice of having one or the other relays on the amount of remaining bone mass, muscle strength, age and budget. Six implants will provide better anchorage and durability than 4. But sometimes there is not sufficient bone structure to support 6 dental implants so the treatment needs to be on 4.
Over the years the materials used to restore these type of treatments has changed. The first generation used to be a metal framework seated on 4 implants and the teeth on top were acrylic. This method was good for the technology available but ended up needing a lot of repair work due to the low resistance of the materials.
The second generation was a metal framework covered with porcelain for better looks and strength, but porcelain used to chip off some times.
The latest generation, thanks to digital dentistry, is the Zirconia structures. These are the strongest available today and the most natural-looking results.
At Meza we customize treatment plans for each patient. Therefore, the smile will be designed according to facial structure, gender, ethnics, function, etc.
We really take pride for our outstandingly beautiful Meza Smiles.
Such treatments can be done placing teeth right after the implant placement (one-stage protocol) or placing the implants and waiting from 4 to 6 months to deliver the teeth onto the implants(two-stage protocol), meanwhile, patients will wear a temporary set of teeth.
We strongly recommend the two stages protocol since it is more predictable and safe for our traveling patients.