Should I Have Large Gaps Between my 4 in 1 Dental Implants and the Gum Line?

Depending on your bone/tissue level, the abutments that hold the prostheses in your mouth will be noticeable if you pull your lip up. The purpose of having visible abutments is for optimal hygiene purposes. You MUST be able to pass the bridge floss underneath the prosthetic in order to keep plaque and tartar from building up around your abutments and on the underside of the bridge. 

Large Gaps Between All On 4 Dental Implant Prosthesis and the Gum Line?If the spacing has been present since time of initial placement, then you should point this out to your dentist so that they can correct it.If, however, you've noticed that the space has been getting larger, then it is important that you return to your dentist so that the cause can be determined.I hope you found this info to be helpful,Dr Champagne

Some gaps are okay as they help you to clean the area with floss or WaterPik. How long have you had your dental implants? If you are still wearing a temporary set of teeth the gaps may be larger until your permanent set is fitted and placed. Otherwise, if it has been some time you may have experienced some shrinkage in the bone and/or surrounding tissue. If it is bothering you, discuss this with your surgeon. They can usually help make the fit a little more snug and comfortable for you. 

The old method of making these appliances was to leave a gap in between the gums and the appliance for the lower jaw. This allows the patient to keep it very clean. There is really nothing wrong with this design unless the patient does not like it for some reason. 
For the upper jaw, there should not be any gap because this will lead to a "lisp" when speaking. 

If you've recently had extractions and your All-on-Four prostheses delivered, it is not surprising to have a gap between the gums and the acrylic. As healing takes place, the bone and gums will shrink and stabilize and often create a gap that is usually closed at the time of making the final restoration.If the hybrids are recent, it is fairly common to have a "high water" design on the lower prosthesis to aid in keeping it clean. We try to have a fairly intimate fit to the gums on the top to prevent saliva, food, and water from passing over the top during speech and eating. If you've had the restorations for a while, then you may have had further bone loss and recession that has caused the gap to widen. This is worth discussing with your dentist. Depending on the material, you can likely have that area relined to fit more perfectly. If you feel the implant, it may actually be a component of the restoration (called a multi-unit abutment) that sticks out of the implant and the denture rests on. If it's the implant itself, the dentist should closely monitor it to make sure that implant stays healthy. 

The All on 4 process consists of two phasesPhase 1 - when the teeth are removed and the implants placed and teeth provided the same day. During this procedure the clinician will not adapt the prosthesis(Teeth) to the gum because it has just undergone surgery and needs to heal. So in this phase you can expect there to be a spacePhase 2 - Final teeth, during this phase new impressions are made and the teeth made to be adapted and to compress the gum a little. This is done to avoid food entrapment, speech problems and also to make it more comfortable for patientsI wish you success in your journey. It will definitely be worth it. 

This prosthesis is a very expensive investment, which would mean you will want to get as much information from your dentist to maintain this prosthesis. So maybe the space created was one of the ways the doctor was trying to assist in the maintenance of your hybrid denture. However, make sure that their is not a fabrication flaw on the part of the lab. It can easily be missed, but it can be corrected with minimal downtime for you.

I believe the "Gap" you are referring to is the normal spacing between the dental implant abutments securing your hybrid denture.  Since all of your teeth in each arch ( a total of 16) were replaced by a total of only 4 implants, there is going to be a large space between them.  This is ok and to be expected.  If you are able to actually see the implants or abutments, the denture was most likely fabricated so it would be easier for you to clean.  There are different ways to fabricate the denture for attachment to the implants, so this should be discussed with the dentist that made the denture which attaches to your implants. 

The question is how long have you had the implant and hybrid denture?  If it has been a number of years, you may have some bone loss around the implants or adjacent spaces.  This can cause the gaps.  If it is a consistent problem, then a reline might help.

If you feel the post of the implants then I would definitely have a dentist check this out.

Hope this helps.

 

Hybrid prosthesis is a great treatment modality and has been used for a while now. The great advantages are that it gives you a comfort of having fixed prosthesis, excellent ability to chew and aesthetics.  You have to remember that like everything in life different treatment options have advantages and disadvantages, and the disadvantage of this kind of prosthesis is that space that you are talking about. Sometimes it is bigger sometimes it can be smaller, but main reason for that space is that you could keep the implants clean. If you feel that the space is excessive, changes can be made and every Implant Prosthodontist knows how to do that. I would recommend to go to the same dentist who made those prosthesis for you and let him know about your concerns. If your doctor agrees that space is too big he can fix it, and it is an easy fix. Good luck!