These are the alternatives to All-On-4 Dental Implants
The All-On-4 implant approach is an amazing and life-changing option for patients. The All-on-4 treatment is for patients whose teeth cannot be saved or already gone. The All-on-4 dental implant approach involves removing all remaining teeth and placing four to eight implants per jaw, allowing Dr. Lampee to permanently attach a screw in set of teeth that does not come in or out, rejuvenates the smile, and allows you to chew confidently again. This can be done in about 24 hours with sedation. The screw in set of permanent teeth are made out a very strong material called zirconia that is the strongest and most aesthetic material that we have. These will give you back about 100% of chewing ability and they do not ever need to come in or out. These are also our strongest restorations to resist breakage.
Dentures
The alternative to the all-on-4 treatment is regular dentures, which we have been doing for decades. It is technology from over 100 years ago and really hasn’t changed much. Dentures are bulky, uncomfortable, hard to talk with and chew with, and only give you back about 25% of your chewing ability. They often need gooey adhesive constantly to stay in place. This is the most economical treatment but we rarely do this anymore because implant technology with the All-on-4 has gotten so good and predictable. No one wants regular dentures anymore.
Snap In / Snap Out Implant Dentures
Another alternative to the all-on-4 treatment is snap in snap out implant dentures. These implant dentures are a good option but they only give you back about 60% of your chewing ability and they are made out of acrylic, which means they have a higher chance of breaking. They also need to come in and out every day and need quite a bit of cleaning. They snap part of them needs to be switched out about one time per year, which does add to higher yearly maintenance costs.
But, what if you don’t need all of your teeth taken out? What if your teeth can be saved? If this is the case we have two other options to help restore your smile and get your mouth and body healthy again.
Many of my patients have bad gum disease, also known as periodontal disease. It can make your breath smell, cause the gums to bleed, and cause teeth to shift and be loose. Traditional therapies to treat gum disease involve invasive and painful gum surgeries that do not solve the problem. Dr. Lampee has invested much time into education to ensure his patients have the best treatment for gum disease.
The LANAP laser is the first laser to be FDA approved for the reversal of gum disease. A LANAP laser treatment is our first alternative to the All-On- 4 treatment. If you ever get laser treatment on your gums you must insist it is with the LANAP laser. While most patients have never heard of LANAP laser treatment, it has been around for about 20 years. While LASIK therapy is for the eye, LANAP laser therapy is for the gums. There are several imitators and different lasers out there, but they are not as well tested or FDA approved as the LANAP laser is to help reverse gum disease. The LANAP laser has the strictest protocols to ensure it is as successful as possible and LANAP trained doctors have been through a rigorous advanced education program. The LANAP laser works by destroying the bacteria that cause gum disease and actually helps stimulate the bone to heal and regrow. The laser fiber is placed into the deep gum pockets and sends pulses of laser energy into the gum tissues and destroys the bacteria causing the gum disease. This helps to reduce gum pocket depth and inflammation, which improves your breath, tightens up the teeth, and helps save your teeth.
This treatment can be done is 1 or 2 sessions with sedation. Each appointment is 1.5-3 hours long. Gum disease is a huge risk factor for diabetes, heart attack, stroke, and coronavirus complications, so it is very important to treat your gum disease with the LANAP laser. Be healthier!
Full Mouth Veneers and Crowns
Our second alternative to the All-On-4 implant treatment is full mouth crowns and veneers. Again, if your teeth can be saved this is a great option. The full mouth crown and veneer treatment is good for patients with broken teeth, cavities, old fillings, rotated or missing teeth, and dark staining. In one day we can prep the teeth for crowns and veneers, which is like a whole new layer of enamel. We can get all of the old bad stuff out and put beautiful new porcelain in. The smile transformation is instantaneous and dramatic. Gaps are filled in, rotated teeth are now straight, and stained teeth are now white. This approach also removes all of the potential infections in your mouth making you healthier and restoring your smile and chewing ability. Patients just love their new smile once they have their new crowns and veneers.
Dr. Lampee does All-On-4 treatments every week for his patients that need them, but there are alternatives. LANAP laser treatment and full mouth crowns and veneers. If the teeth cannot be saved or already gone then we have to do our permanent implant All-On-4 option. But, if they can be saved then we can do LANAP laser treatment to kill the bacteria that cause gum disease or do full mouth crowns and veneers to instantaneously restore your smile to perfection.
The main goal of the Portland dentist Dr. Lampee’s dental treatments is to get your mouth healthy and get you smiling again. Infections in the mouth can take a slow yet devastating toll on your health and energy. By removing the infections, which include abscess, gum disease, cavities and old leaking fillings we can get the mouth healthy.
So many of our patients have forgotten how to smile, and it brings us such joy to help them through this journey. With our All-On-4 treatment and our alternative to All-On-4 such as LANAP laser treatment and full mouth crowns and veneers we can help you smile again.
