Should it come a time in an individual’s life to consider removing their remaining teeth and shift to dentures, they may wish to consider an alternative treatment that is long lasting and gives them a sense of security that other options just cannot offer.
An ‘all-on-four’ treatment takes advantage of the many ways in which dental implants in Melbourne are changing people’s lives for the better. There are times at which this treatment would be suitable for individuals and by discussing with their dentist what their personal situation is, patients are able to determine whether they would be suitable for this treatment.
Often there are some concerns, as is with any commitment to a dental procedure and rightly so. By going through any potential downsides of a treatment, patients are able to weigh up the advantages and disadvantages so that they can make the best choice for themselves.
What are some of the flaws in this treatment?
The biggest concern people have is whether they will experience a speech impairment after receiving this treatment. It does take some getting used to, however those who opt to have this treatment do say that this potential flaw is far exceeded by the positive enhancement they have in their ability to eat comfortably and freedom to smile again.
Some research has gone into this concern and although the majority of patients did experience some difficulty with normal speech immediately after their treatment, after three weeks, 5 of the 7 individuals recorded had their speech return to normal.
There may be some indicators as to whether a person will be able to return their speech back to their original baseline again and this should be discussed with a dentist during the consultation phase of this treatment.
What exactly is all-on-four?
Differing from denture stabilisation, which allows a patient to remove their dentures at will, the all-on-four treatment is a way to permanently secure dentures onto the gums and create a second chance at long term teeth again.
This eliminates the need to remove and clean dentures, but rather gives individuals a freedom that they may not have had the pleasure of experiencing for some time.
It is also useful for people who need to have their teeth removed quickly, because of an injury or accident. The drastic change to their lives can be remedied in some way with this near permanent solution, giving them a sense of peace and control.
Although extremely long lasting, implants do not last forever and it can only be said that they last for several decades. This is a far longer lifespan than many other treatments available and for a lot of patients, they will not have to reconsider replacing their implant.
For those few who need to replace a missing tooth earlier on in life however, they will need to look at this in later years. By caring for their implant as best as possible, they can extend the life of their implant and their overall oral health as well.
Any surgical or invasive procedure carries risks. Before proceeding you should seek a second
opinion from an appropriately qualified health practitioner.
