The beauty of implant dentistry is that skilled and experienced prosthodontists can engineer very successful functional and esthetic results with many different dental implant configurations. While experts would agree that six dental implants per arch dictate the most predicable, solid smile for most patients, the reality is that every case is different. Many patients have found great satisfaction with the All-On-4™ treatment concept, sometimes a stepping stone to more comprehensive treatment but often a self-sufficient solution for the long term. In a healthy mouth with a reasonable quantity of healthy bone, four dental implants can easily support a sparkling prosthetic smile.
Implant dentistry today has actually taken the concept of All-On-4™ even a step (or a dental implant) further. In some situations it is possible to relieve uncomfortable dental issues with the application of just three dental implants. Case in point: one dental implant patient at the Pi Dental Center (at the ripe old age of 96) genuinely suffered from the irritation of her denture against tissue where bone had so resorbed that the nerve was actually exposed. Most of us can identify with the intensity of nerve pain. This patient had completely abandoned chewing due to the riveting pain of her denture routinely pressing against the nerve.
In this particular case, three dental implants became the new anchor for a secure, non-removable lower denture that lifted the teeth above the nerve and completely eradicated all pain. The patient, now well on her way to an even healthier “97” has returned to a balanced diet and can readily enjoy all of her favorite foods.
“All on 3” is not for everyone but there are a surprising number of viable applications for this concept in implant dentistry. In 2012, a five-year retrospective study conducted in Barcelona was published in the International Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Implants. There were 24 dental arches (both upper and lower) treated in 17 patients for a total of 72 implants. In this limited sample, there was a 100% implant survival rate. Given the right set of circumstances, research indicates that oral health may be dramatically improved with as few as three dental implants and non-removable teeth.