Carlos Sevilla, DDS

Let start with the basics.  What’s a dental implant in the first place? It is a small titanium screw, secured into the jawbone to provide a long-term support for crowns and dentures. The implant fuses to the bone, and it replaces the function of the root of a tooth. 

 

What does All-on 4 even mean? What All-on-4 means is that a whole arch of teeth is being supported on 4 strategically-placed dental implants, instead of replacing each tooth separately. 

 

Let’s begin by stating who is eligible or better said, who would benefit the most from All-on-4 implants:

• It is usually best for people who have lost all of their teeth or must have the rest of their teeth pulled due to decay or any other reason, like an accident per say.  
  
  
• People who already wear dentures, and no longer want to deal with the hassle and discomfort that they cause. 
  
  
• People who do not have the bone density to support a full set of individual implants, or the financial means to get them. The procedure to get All-on-4s is faster and more affordable. 
  
  

• Their care is exactly the same as your natural teeth: brush, floss, mouthwash and periodic visits to the dentist should do. 
  
  
• They are fitted and stable, allowing you to comfortably eat what you wish, and preventing embarrassing moments due to ill-fitting dentures. 
  
  
• You can forget your nightly ritual of taking out your denture to soak and rinse over night!
  
  
• Esthetically speaking, they look exactly like your natural teeth, and no one will be able to tell they are implants. 
  
  
• They will prevent further bone deterioration. Your jawbone will become active again and will regain some of the bone mass it had lost. This will result in a strong and healthy jawbone.
  
  
• They have an amazing 98% success rate. 
  
  
• They may last a life time (with proper care, of course).
  
  

Based on the pictures uploaded it seems as if your natural teeth were prepared for crowns and not veneers. Veneers usually just cover the front of your tooth versus crowns that cover front, both sided and back. However, this would be better analyzed with clinically with an oral evaluation and with x-rays.

Gum inflammation is usual. Most patients can certainly have it swell down and heal properly with general cleaning, proper maintence. However, before we begin we would need to complete an oral evaluation with x-rays to find the root of the cause, in order to address it and avoid it continuing to happen.