Good day to everyone out there!

So, lately we have seen an uptick in patients who are either at or close to “End Stage Dentition.” What is End Stage Dentition?
Well, that is a state where the teeth or a vast majority of teeth in an arch (example: upper jaw is one arch) are no longer restorable/salvageable and require removal. Advanced periodontal (gum disease) can also lead to their demise when there is insufficient bone to hold the teeth.
Okay, they need to be removed, now what?
In the past, patients would receive a full denture to replace their unrestorable teeth in the affected arch. So what’s the problem with that?

Well, dentures only solve an esthetic problem and a phonetic problem. Teeth serve three main purposes: 1) Smile 2) Speech and 3) Masticating/Eating. Dentures by their very nature are loosely held into place by suction and muscles in the upper jaw and muscles only in the lower jaw. They are not fixed into place and because of this eating nutritious foods is compromised. Salad, nuts and firm things like steak can be very difficult to handle. Lettuce is tough to contain and chew, nuts get under the denture and hurt and dentures simply cannot break up and chew firm foods like steak mostly because they shift excessively. Due to this, denture wearers tend to turn to soft things like mashed potatoes, rice, soft cookies, etc. which are highly refined carbohydrates which can make any underlying diabetes worse. Additionally, most people prefer something fixed, something that does not move when they’re eating, talking and smiling.

Additionally, shifting dentures cause bone loss which makes them fit even worse! So what is the solution?

With the technology and techniques we have available to us today, the failing teeth in an arch can be replaced with a minimum of four implants and a fixed bridge which is screwed into those implants, hence the term All on 4. Sometimes it is necessary to have one or more extra implants over the minimum of four, hence the term All on X. This may be due to soft bone requiring more implants or very strong musculature which may overload four implants. Your treating dentist will decide which is appropriate and will explain the benefits of the number necessary to you. In most cases, four implants is sufficient. This treatment modality was introduced by Dr. Paolo Malo in 2003 and has since become widely popular around the world as well as scientifically proven.

We at Art of Smiles, Norman D Knowles DMD PA, are committed to providing you with all phases of implant treatment as well as All on Four treatment.

Here is an educational video from Nobel Biocare, which is the preferred dental implant in our office.

https://youtu.be/1rP4DFi_qx4?si=isUP4_HkRMNZoJFS

If you have any questions about the procedure or have any questions about financing please call us at 772-778-0954.
Thanks, and we look forward to hearing from you!