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All on 4

  • Thread starter Thread starter Lynn0863
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Lynn0863

Junior member
Joined
Apr 15, 2023
Messages
4
Location
Canada
After many years I am finally doing something about my teeth.

Has anyone here been through this? If so can you share your experience?

Thanks m!
 
Hey there,

well, our whole forum is about people been through doing something about their teeth so feel free to browse around as you like :)
Is there anything in particular you are looking for?
 
@Enarete thanks for the response, the subject of my post was “all on 4”, which is a specific dental procedure (essentially a total restoration). This is what I was asking about, if anyone had been through that specific procedure. I did a search and nothing came up
 
Hi @Lynn0863 and :welcome:!

All-on-4 is a really difficult search term because the built-in forum search treats "all" and "on" and "4" as separate words, and it ignores "4" because it's too short. That's why you get no results! Instead, go to our main website's search page and type "all-on-4" in there:

www.dentalfearcentral.org

Search Dental Fear Central

Search the Dental Fear Central website using Google Custom Search and find what you are looking for!
www.dentalfearcentral.org www.dentalfearcentral.org

Generally speaking, all-on-4 is a last resort procedure, for a number of reasons (there's a thread about all-on-4 here that explains some of the challenges and disadvantages - it's very graphic, so only look if you feel you can handle it). Depending on your age and your budget, there may be many other options

Is all-on-4 something that has been suggested to you, or are you at the stage of just generally googling for information?
 
Thanks for your response@letsconnect …. I appreciate the information. This procedure was suggested to me and I am scheduled to have the surgery this May. I had a lot of dental work done in the past, bridges all over my mouth that are beginning to fall apart (quite literally). The other options are removable dentures or implants with bridges —- the all on 4 was presented as a better option.
 
Hi Lynn!
I am almost to the end of my long but necessary all on four journey! I should be eating apples by June I hope :) It's been a terrific experience this far. If I can answer anything for you or you just want to chat about it let me know :)
 
I just started the process myself on both upper and lower arches. I am having extreme anxiety dealing with it all and wish I could just hibernate through the process. I will give you a positive note however. My initial surgery was last Friday. They removed my remaining 19 teeth and inserted 7 of the 8 implants I need. I had a lot of infection in one area, so They have to wait a month. I was sedated by IV and do not remember a thing and had no pain afterwards. If every visit to the dentist was like that, I never would have had an issue going. But this will be a long process for me. I will have my uppers attached in within the week, so I will let you know how that goes. You did not mention if you had issues with anxiety or are just curious about the process. But if I did not have anxiety, I can see how this would be tolerable process with a great outcome. Again, I had no pain after my major surgery, so technically the hardest part is over. I just have to find a way myself, to handle the remaining procedures without sedation.
 
@c R I s G R z

Yours is moving along much quicker than mine as far as getting teeth attached! Thankfully I had dentures for two years prior to starting the switch to all on four so I really haven't had to go without teeth for more than a week or so at a time. Due to my anxiety all my procedures in this process will be done with sedation. May 1st I have my X-ray to make sure all 8 implants have integrated properly (they were put in the end of December) and then a week after that they will be uncovered and the healing abutments will be put in place and then I will finally be able to get the final teeth. I'm so ready! Good luck to you and keep us posted, I'm interested to hear how it goes!
 
@sarasue71 Hi Sara. Thank you for your reply. This is going to be a long process. I decided to upgrade to a permanent upper attachment. Due to my bone loss and soft bone it is in my best interest to have it permanent. That is the only reason they are able to do it sooner, initially I was going to have to wait 6 months. My lower will have the removable, and that will be the same process as yours. Will your on-all-four denture be removeable?
 
@c R I s G R z

I think no matter what it's a long process and the fact that it's our mouths and front and center no matter where you go makes it seem unbearably long. I too had bone loss and had to have a sinus lift on both sides for the upper and then had bone grafting material put in for the lower. That's what most of the initial waiting was for. To make sure the material would adhere to the existing bone and actually start to regenerate new bone with no infection. I do appreciate the fact that implants will keep the bone active and I shouldn't lose anymore jawbone. I chose the removable implants, even though I don't plan on taking them out, I worry about getting a chia seed or something under them and then having to go in and have them unscrewed by the dentist to get it out vs just removing it at home. Hopefully after the integration period this won't ever happen but I like to be prepared. After having dentures for two years and knowing the actual pain of getting something stuck under them it was a concern I had for the implants. Either way I'm super excited for my new and permanent smile and I know you are too!! ❤️
 
@Lynn0863 @sarasue71
I got my upper arch attached yesterday. My upper is fixed, so it is screwed into the implants. I will say that was a bit uncomfortable to attach, not painful, just uncomfortable for a few moments. My lower will be removeable, so I have a 4-6 month healing time before I get those. They did give me a temporary denture for the bottom, but I probably will not wear it. It is just too bulky and uncomfortable. My anxiety is still thru the roof as my dentist has not been the greatest when it comes to that. But I am getting thru it. Overall I am happy with my uppers so far.
 

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@c R I s G R z No, mine will be somewhat permanent. I was told that the upper and lower jaws the temporary (acrylic) jaws will be attached by screws but could not be removed for 3 months. Once the permanent (porcelain) jaws are in place they will also be attached by screws that only a dentist can take out.
 
@Lynn0863 I have my X-ray Wednesday to make sure the implant cones have integrated with my jaw bones, then the following Wednesday they will be uncovered and healing abutments put in the holes. Three weeks after that I should be ready for the teeth! When do you get your temporary jaws?
 
@c R I s G R z
How are things going with your upper now that it's been a month?
 
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