All on Four Experience - Atlanta, GA

I elected to go for the all on 4 - implants/ teeth in a day. Years of bad teeth, mouth pain, related health issues and the social and aesthetic implications made it a must for me. It's been a year now and I can honestly say is was one of my best decisions I've ever made. I get complements on my teeth now and no one has any idea they're not my originals, unless I tell them.

Everyone is different and it's a very individual and "permanent" decision to make; One that should not be taken lightly I think. First and foremost I suggest doing your homework. Understand what you're doing to your body, how it will effect you and your life. Find a qualified implant specialist. I suggest finding one with a dental lab "in house" so you get your temporary teeth put in before you leave that day.

Is it painful? The surgery isn't. You're numb/ drugged and there are no nerves in bone so there is no pain to the bone what so ever. However, your gums however are loaded with nerves. I'm probably the biggest baby in the world when it comes to the dentist and I considered having them knock me out, but I trusted the doctors advise and local anesthetic suited me just fine. I'm glad I didn't waste the extra money on general anesthesia.

After the procedure you'll have some pain from gum disruption, tooth pulling or what ever manipulations to the gums you might have to endure. I had all of my teeth removed so mine was probably a little worse than most.

I won't lie, the first 48 hours after my surgery were difficult, but then... I'd just had surgery. I was swolen and pretty uncomfortable and I'll admit I questioned my decision to go through with it; but the after care pain meds helped a great deal. After the first 24-48 hours it was just uncomfortable for a time getting used to the new teeth. It was not an unbearable pain, more like a dull pain that slowly subsided as the gums healed. I noticed some temperature changes in my mouth where the implants are placed as the metal tends to feel cold, but this went away over time. You can feel them healing as they tend to give you a tightening sensation the jaw. This sensation goes away as well.

A couple days of swelling and discomfort go away very quickly - A beautiful smile has changed my life for the better and it will last me a lifetime. No, it's not cheap, but it was absolutely worth swapping that new car I was thinking about for my new smile. I'm glad it's over now but if I had to make the choice to to do it all over again, I absolutely would.