Understanding Materials Used in All-on-4 Dental Implant Bridges
Understanding the different materials around All on 4 dental implants treatment can be a challenge. What are the various components when doctors refer to All-on-4 dental implants?
First, let’s examine the name by taking it apart and dissecting its parts.
“All – On – 4 Dental Implants“
“All”
All of your smile, including Teeth and Gums, are replaced by One Bridge
“On“
Attached, connected, and screwed to One Bridge.
“4 Dental Implants“
A minimum of 4 implants (two in the front and two in the back) are needed to support this bridge.
A more accurate name to describe this treatment would be “One Bridge Connected to 4 Dental Implants“
Let’s focus on the materials for this ALL-On-4 Dental Implant Bridge.
All on 4® Bridge materials are divided into monolithic and polylithic bridges
Monolithic means that its made of only one material making it very strong and less likely to fracture into separate pieces. To make one large bridge requires special milling machines that are very expensive. The primary material in this arena considered to be a permanent prosthesis is zirconia.
Polylithic means its made of two or more materials and glued together to make one bridge. Materials used in this arena include
Titanium,
PMMA,
Resin Acrylic, Denture Teeth, Trilor, Trinia, graphine, and Pekkton, porcelain, zirconia, composite. These styles of devices don’t generally require an expensive milling machine and so many doctors gravitate to them. The primary problem is that under pressure and wear over time, these parts debond. For example the most common call to get from a patient 3-5 years out is ,”My front tooth just broke off.” which creates stress for the patient as well as the doctor.
An example that is NOT the same as All-On-4®
3 on 6® dental implant treatment requires 3 separate bridges (as opposed to ONE with All on 4 Treatment). Each of these three bridges (as opposed to ONE) require 2 implants (3 Bridges x 2 implant each = 6 total implants) but here is the difference we want to get at. These 3 separate bridges generally DO NOT replace All of your smile because they only replace the teeth. This isn’t always a problem early on but as time go’s on, many patients return dissatisfied with their smile because these bridges show dark triangles where the patients gums have receded and left a black void. The only way to fix this is to have them completely redone. This is ALWAYS very frustrating and financially stressful for the patient.
Simply put, dental implants are a special type of screw to replace the root portion of your teeth. Most dental implants are made of titanium, with zirconia being a rare exception WITH SINGLE ANTERIOR IMPLANT/CROWNS. Dental implants function to replace ONLY the root of your teeth. This is the critical connection into your jaw bone which provides the retentive and compressive strength. It’s comparable to a house’s foundation or a tree’s trunk. Within the All on 4® treatment process, we place at least four implants that will solely support all of your teeth. These implants are unique from other regular implants because they provide more prosthetic options and have a much more aggressive thread design, creating stronger and tighter connection to bone. These All-ON-4 type dental implants can be placed in patients with little bone volume due to bone loss caused by tooth extractions or denture wear.
All on 4 Bridge (one continuous bridge)
What Makes Zirconia Strong?
Zirconia is considered “metal-free”. In dentistry, zirconia is known as zirconium dioxide, which means it is not pure as there is a slight trace of hafnium inside to improve its strength. When dental zirconia is ready, it will have an opaque-looking product that is extremely strong and can be used to make crowns and bridges. Zirconia can fuse to the bone, similar to how titanium does, making it suitable for dental implants. There are several advantages to using zirconia for dental implants:
No dark metal color showing through the gums
No corrosion problems
No piezo-electric currents
Thermally non-conductive
Dream Dental Implant Center in Salt Lake City, Utah
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If I get the all on 4 for top teeth, what is the denture made of? Do I have a choice?
You have many options to choose from depending on the doctor you work with. The two most common options are titanium and zirconia.