My Truthful Experience with All on 4

Exactly. So happy you’re doing so well too. :-)

Sorry so long for the reply. Thank you so much. I hope all went well with your appointments.

Hi. Sorry it’s taken so long to reply. I am able to eat anything really. But I don’t like eating cheese puff or any snacks with that kinda texture as it all gets so stuck to my teeth, it’s horrible and takes ages to get it of. I’m sorry to read all the problems you have had with your own teeth. My permanent teeth feel just like real teeth, no bulk at all. I hope you can get something sorted for yourself so you can eat comfortable. Good luck.

I know how you feel as far as your teeth go. Mine are bad too. Reading that you have those bad thoughts tells me to ask if you need help dealing with your feelings. A friend of mine took his life 9 days ago and the pain is real. Please seek help if you continue to have suicidal thoughts. You’ll get your teeth fixed right just hang in there and it’ll happen

Hi. I know it’s easy for me to say but please don’t get yourself so down about your teeth and smile. There will definitely be a solution, maybe all on 4 is right for you, I hope it is. A lot of dentist and implant places offer payment plans that might help you. Do please look in to this or maybe a low interest bank loan or even an interest free money transfer from a credit card. I wish you so much luck. And be happy. It will all work out in the end.

Can you apply for Carecredit? You could pay part of it and finance the rest for 2 years if approved.

Thank you.

Hi. I had a bit of bone grafting done on my upper right side. It's quite amazing to see the images of the posts and grafting taken just after treatment and 6 weeks after treatment, the bone new and existing was completely fused ( I think would be the right word ) with the posts so to give the new teeth when fitted all the strength needed. The posts are fitted in different angles then the roots would be, again for great strength. I believe as there are posts fitted and fused and a set of perfectly snug fitting teeth so you can use your teeth as normal you shouldn't get any gum or bone loss. Of course you need to look after your new teeth the same as you would your own teeth to keep them perfectly healthy. I found the night mouth guards to work wonderfully well. I definitely do grind my teeth still, it's very obvious on the guards. But no more damage to my beautiful new teeth. I did do a lot of research and visited a number of dentists before I choose the dentist to do mine. My mum had crowns on all her front teeth done a long time ago, ( she's always been a 6 month check up dentist visit person ) last year she had them all taken out due to decay under them and now has dentures. She could have had the all on 4 but decided against that option because of the cost. I hope you get everything sorted. Good luck with whatever you decide.

When you had the temporary teeth, did the implants (screws) go through a bulky area in the roof of your mouth? And if so, did that change with the permanent teeth? Do the implants (screws) now go through an actual tooth? The sample all on 4 that I was shown at my initial consult had the screws going through the teeth. But that is not the case with my temporaries. I have a palate on the top and bottom and the screws are going through that part and not the teeth. I am just wondering (and hoping) that won't be the case with the permanent teeth.

I had all my own teeth before going in to have my all on 4 & 6, apart from a couple of teeth that had already been removed. When I had the temporary teeth in for the 6 months while waiting for the permanent teeth to be fitted I did find my cheeks started to look sunken at the back as the temporary teeth only had 10 teeth on both top and bottom sets. My permanent teeth have 12 teeth on both top and bottom sets. I was worried about the sunken cheeks also and asked my dentist if the teeth could go further back so to give support to the cheeks. I am a beauty therapist and believe part of my job is to look my best. My dentist had the back teeth made almost stretched I guess so they sat back further. I definitely don't have sunken cheeks though.

What about your speech? Do you have difficulty?
and what about food getting in between the teeth and gums?

Took a while to pronounce words without a lisp when I had the temporary teeth in and I always needed to brush my teeth straight after eating with them. Was a lot better from the get go with the permanent teeth, a few words took a little practice to pronounce without to much of a lisp but I always use to have a lisp anyway. As for eating now, I can't say I have to much of problem. Certainly no more so than with my own teeth. Its inevitable that food will get stuck in between your teeth. I do what I've done for years, swish water around my mouth after eating. Should any food get stuck I use the little tiny brushes to remove it. It's extremely important to keep up with good dental hygiene. I've mentioned before that I use a water pic, an electric toothbrush and the little brushes to keep my teeth and gums very clean. For me my new teeth feel

Hi. My dentist was against me having both upper and lower done in the same day as he said it was a lot for me to deal with in 1 go. Because I did find it extremely uncomfortable after having the upper done I’m glad I didn’t have both upper and lower done on the same day. It was going to be 4 weeks in between having top and bottom done but as I healed quickly I had the bottom done 3 weeks after the top. I found the bottom much easier to cope with. This could be because my body was prepared for what to expect. It frightened me quite a lot at how much shock I was in after my upper teeth was removed. It didn’t cost anything extra to wait and have them done separately for me as the price was all in if you like. It’s different for everyone and everyone copes differently. It such a huge thing to do and I know it seems a long time from start to finish but anything that make any part of the treatment easier I think should be taken. It’s only a few days of ouch. I think have the few days of ouch dealing with the upper and a few weeks getting use to the upper temporary teeth then when all that’s settled in nicely have a few days of ( in my experience ) uncomfortable swelling and bruising under the chin and getting used to your lower set of temporary teeth. I had my upper teeth removed on the 24 October last year and my lower teeth done 3 weeks later, by the end of November everything was great. Good luck with your treatment.

What was your post op diet? For how many weeks were you on a total liquid diet? You had to be on it twice, right? Would you do anything differently? Maybe space it a month apart? 2 months? How many days before you could talk? How many days before you were presentable and felt comfortable going out in public?

Did your dentist discuss All-on-6?

What was the worst part of this entire procedure?

Was the surgery itself painful?

I'm scheduled for double Arch surgery on Oct 30 so I am trying to prepare myself. Thank you for your quick replies! I need to let them know soon if I want to change my mind.

Also, what is your daily oral hygiene routine? Do you find it easy or kind of a hassle?

How often do you need to see the dentist for routine cleanings and exams? Is it less?

Did you tell many people before you got the surgery done? Did those that did not know, notice or comment? Or was it more, "You look different, but I can't put my finger on it"?

Did you feel self-conscious, even though you had a new, beautiful smile?

Lol. Lots of questions. Ok, on the day of upper arch treatment I had tomato soup and a few cups of tea. I was feeling very sorry for myself on this day. Took co codamol every 6 hours for the pain. Day 2 I still had only soup and tea and continued with the pain relief every 6 hours but felt ok. My mum was amazed at how well I looked. I didn’t have to have a liquid diet, I just couldn’t eat hard foods. Chicken was ok. I choose to have soup again after lower set done because I will try to avoid pain at all cost. But the day after lower set done I had cheese on toast. Was fine with things like cottage pie, roast chicken dinner, sandwiches, strangely I couldn’t eat lettuce, apples, tomatoes, beef as the temporary teeth just couldn’t chaw them. I’m super impatient so wouldn’t have done anything to make the whole process take longer. I could talk as soon as it was done, I just had a lisp, got used to it though. The temporary teeth looked just like real teeth so if I’d wanted too I could have gone out and about from day 1. I had all on 6 on the upper and all on 4 on the lower. My dentist went over absolutely everything in detail befor treatment was done and I had everything in writing too. I don’t think I have a tolerance to pain at all so I’d have to say how much pain I was in on day 1. I didn’t like the shock of having my teeth taken out and that the dental block kept wearing off. I believe this was because of the adrenaline due to the shock. And the time from day 1 till my perfect permanent teeth was fitted. For me yes the surgery was just awful but as I said the dental block kept wearing off. I find keeping my teeth clean really easy. I use an electric toothbrush, a water pic, and the tiny pink brushes. My teeth are still as perfectly white today as the day they was fitted. I only need to visit my dentist once a year for a check up and clean. Everyone notices my teeth. It’s impossible not to smile as they are so beautiful. I have strangers saying how beautiful my teeth are. I told all my family and friends. I couldn’t wait to get my teeth sorted. I hated that I had lost my perfect smile. I’m a smiley person. It fabulous to be able to smile with so much confidence again. It makes you feel good and everyone else. I definitely don’t regret having my teeth done, they was worth the pain ( I did say to my dentist there was 2 other times I felt pain on that scale and both times I got a beautiful baby for it ) and my lovely car I had to sell to go towards the cost. I know it’s scary. But I’m guessing you must need this treatment done. You won’t regret. It just a few months then your remember how wonderful it was before problems started. I’d 100% recommend upper done then lower a few weeks later. It won’t add time to the final permanent teeth fitted. Feel free to ask anything.

Thank you so much for taking the time to ease everyone's fears about this procedure by taking away some of the "unknowns". Did you choose to have 6 upper and 4 lower, or did your dentist recommend that from the outset and that's what you went with? My dentist only talked about 4 for upper and lower. When I asked about 6, he said that's better but more expensive, so he's leaving it up to me. Why did you choose 6 and 4?

After having the first surgery, did part of you dread having to go back in for the second one? My dentist is strongly encouraging having both arches done at the same time (as with you, the cost is the same whether I have them done together or separately).

During the second surgery, did your dentist administer dental block more frequently so it didn't keep wearing off? I'm not a big fan of pain either.

Could you tell that all your teeth had been removed? I mean, you immediately had a temporary put in, so other than mentally knowing it was done, could you "feel" that you had no teeth?

What was the more difficult hurdle for you to get over -- psychologically accepting that you would no longer have any natural teeth, or preparing for the physical discomfort of the surgery? Or was it something else?

It's interesting you likened this pain to childbirth. I did not expect it to be anywhere on that level. Had the dental block not worn off, would it have been basically pain-free? Or was most of the pain during recovery?

How long was it before you returned to work and doing all your regular chores?

What sensations did you feel during surgery? Did you feel tugging when the teeth were removed? Were there any sounds or smells that I should prepare myself for?

How is it possible to keep your mouth open for that long? Did you have the urge to swallow?

Thank you so SO much. I haven't been eating or sleeping well because I'm consumed with worry. I can't thank you enough for helping us all out. :))))))

Ahh bless you. Don’t let it worry you that much. It is what it is, and it’ll all be over and done with before you know it. Yes my dentist told me in detail about all on 4 and all on 6. All on 6 gives much more strength and although I could have had this done on both top and bottom he said it wasn’t really necessary to have it on the bottom as the top arch does something more than the bottom ( I can’t remember what it it but 6 implants really isn’t needed anyway ) I figured I’d go with what my dentist felt was best as he knows best. I was very worried about having the lower done after the pain I felt with the top, but on the day I had nothing to worry about. I didn’t feel a thing with the lower set. Before surgery I was given antibiotics and co codamol ( sorry I don’t know how it’s spelt ) I can’t take ibuprofen. You feel kind of sorry for yourself after it’s done. Only had dental block done at the start on the bottom arch. He also put a bubble gum tasting gel on the gums where it injection is to go so I didn’t really feel the infection either. I wouldn’t say you can feel your teeth are no longer there but you know so you kinda feel it. I not gunna lie, I hated the feel of the temporarys. I just wanted to take them out every morning for weeks ( of course you can’t ) they feel very unnatural but you get use to it. For me this took a couple of months. I was very upset on the day of surgery when my dentist said all my upper teeth was removed. I got over this feeling very quickly though. It would definitely have been pain free if the dental block hadn’t worn off. I started to feel pain not long after I’d gotten home. My husband is very much you only take tablets as often as the box says so I had to wait half an hour before I took any more pain relief and I wasn’t allowed any hot drinks. I took the pain relief when I could and went to bed. Got up about 4 hours later and had some soup and a cup of tea. we had not long moved house and the day after my upper teeth was done we had someone in fitting the blinds the day after that we had the fire surround and a log burner installed and 2 days after the lower set done we had the whole house re carpeted. I’m a beauty therapist and work from home so I was able to pick and choose my hours to what worked best with me. I like my home to be very clean and tidy so the day after surgery on both top and bottom I was doing my normal chores. I felt some tugging but not a lot. If your dentists needs to cut through bone it makes a horrible noise. The noise of drilling the implants in isn’t really very nice and the noise of the implants being tightened also isn’t very nice and a weird sensation. You kinda feel it’s being done way to tight. You just do keep your mouth open. The dental nurses are very good at keeping all water sucked away during surgery. I hope this helps. Please try not to worry. This time next month your be setting in nicely with your new temporary teeth. Take care.

I've been reading and re-reading what you've written. It's really helpful. <3

You mentioned tart the day after your lower jaw surgery, you had a sandwich. Could you bite bread l??

that

Happy to help. Yes I could eat bread, not crusty bread. The temporary teeth are basically to look like you have teeth, they function to a degree. They are also there to help with the healing of the gums. Either use a knife and fork for all your meals or break small chunks off and put into your mouth. You don’t really want to be putting to much pressure on them especially in the first 6 weeks after surgery as this is the time when the bone is fusing with the implants. You very quickly get use to what you can and can’t eat. You can eat anything with the permanent teeth though, bite into apples, bite into crusty bread, chew steak. The permanent teeth are so close to real healthy teeth it’s incredible. Take care.

I'm still trying to weigh the pros and cons of having one surgery. I only have to be careful eating for the first 6 weeks versus having two surgeries and having to be careful for 10-14 weeks (my periodontist recommended waiting 2 months, so it could be 8 additional weeks that I need to be especially careful about what I eat). How anxious were you for the 9 week mark to pass so you could resume eating a normal diet? Were you counting the days?

If your first surgery had been as painless as your second, would you have chosen to have both arches done? It sounds like most of the pain was post surgical (since you were taking the co comodol). You don't think that it would be worth the little bit more discomfort to get it all over with at once???? What I don't know is how much more "a little bit" actually is!

The thought of going in once is bad enough ... the thought of going twice is a hurdle for me. Of course the thought of having all teeth pulled is a hurdle too. I guess it's like ripping the band-aid off quickly, or gently peeling it off. Which one are you? =D

I thank you for your speedy replies. Also, your writing is very entertaining and fun to read. I mean, the topic isn't fun, but your writing is clear and detailed, with a touch of humor and lots of support.

One more thing ...now that you've had your permanent teeth for almost 4 months (if I've done the math correctly), is it normal and now you don't even think about that they aren't your real teeth? Have you started to take them for granted?

I kind of think you’d like to just get it all done in 1 go. I think you should. You’re worrying yourself far to much. Yes of course it’s painful. Having just a single tooth taken out hurts, right. Having a whole lot taken out in 1 go is gunna hurt a little more. I guess I’ve worded the eating part Wrong. You have to be quite careful while you have open wounds, obviously. You don’t an infection at this stage. You also really don’t want to put too much pressure on the implants, you don’t want them to move. I think that would not only course lots of problems for the dentist but I figure that would hurt. You only need be super careful with food choices for the first few days post surgery. After that you can eat what your new temporary teeth will allow you to eat. My first surgery was done on October 24 and my permanent teeth was fitted the first week in may. I think on the 5th or 6th, I remember it being done as it was a few days after my birthday. For the 6 months I had the temporary teeth I was restricted to the types of food I could eat. The temporary teeth just don’t allow you to chaw foods as you would with natural teeth. You can resume a anything you like diet when you’re permanent teeth are fitted ( well 24 hrs after fitting ). I don’t take my new teeth for granted. But I don’t really think about them. They just there, you no. Like your own teeth. You kinda only think about them when they hurting.
I’m guessing you have periodontal disease. The great news is once all you own teeth are taken out you will no longer have periodontal disease. Fabulous right. You’re timing is not to different from what mine was last year. Just as the better weather is starting you’re get you perfect new smile. Perfect for all those summer photos.

Yes, I have pretty severe periodontal disease. I've had one implant for 20 years, but two more teeth (all upper) became very loose and had to be pulled. I planned to have single implants done (had the teeth removed and ridge augmentation done), but after looking at x-rays and seeing how little root remained on most of my teeth, we changed gears to All-On-4 (or 5 or 6!). Things are stable right now so there's no rush--except it takes so much coordination to get the dentist, perio and lab to come together all on the same day. I've already got Oct 30th scheduled, so that's the pressure I'm feeling. It could be moved, but scheduling a new day might take some time.

How were you able to move your second surgery up so quickly? About 3 weeks ago I looked into pushing it back a couple weeks and the perio would have had to move 11 appointments!

I don't WANT to have it done in one go, but logically and logistically it seems to make the most sense. Financially, it makes a little more sense to spread it into two surgeries because I only need to pay right before each surgery. So less pain and less shock to my body, but having to do it twice. I typically prefer to rip off the band-aid, but this is a little more than that!!!!! My perio is strongly encouraging it, but I'm not sure if that's because it's definitely better for him financially. There's less overall office time for him. I'm his only patient for one day (8 hours), versus taking up a chair for 5-6 hours two days. The price is the same even though there are a lot of things that are included that I don't need two of (anesthesia, rinse, dental pick, ...). So there's that conflict of interest. I've asked for a discount, but he's said no.

Thanks for all the food for thought.

Ok. Mine was somewhat different from yours. The dentist I choose specialists in implant dentistry. They don’t do any regular dentist stuff. All my work was done there. My surgery and all following appointments was done by the same dentist. Apart from the dental nurses no other specialists needed to be there. I choose not to be sedated as I never been a nervous patient so didn’t need an anaesthetist. Each of my surgery was 4 hour appointments with a 20 minuet brake, this was after the implants was put in place. I could have had this treatment done at my regular dentist but choose to go somewhere else. Everything was done at this dentist. I not sure why your dentist also needs the periodontist there too. My total treatment was just under £20’000, it’s still a lot of money but other places I also checked out quoted me anything up to £36’000. In total I went to 6 different places before I choose the place I had the work done. My reason for choosing the place I did was everything was right.
Just remember it’s your money. It is a big thing to have done but you must have it done. Your feel so much better just knowing all the bad stuff going on under the gum line is going on no more.
I read someone took there I pod and listened to music through the whole surgery. Maybe this could help you while treatment being done.
Please let me know how you get on.

My dentist works with the lab to make the temporary (and final). The perio does the actual surgery. He extracts the teeth, levels the bone, places the implants and sews me back up. Then my dentist will come to his office (along with the lab guy). They will place and adjust the temporary. So, yeah, it's coordinating 3 schedules. I didn't know this is how it would work until I went to schedule the actual appointment. If I had known there were places that did it all, I might have gone there, but I didn't know that was an option. I really like my general dentist--she's really fair about pricing and gives her honest opinion about what's best, rather than hedging.

It might be nice to listen to my own music. Thanks for the suggestion! :)

I'll let you know how it goes.

Yeah it must be quite hard to get everyone in 1 place at the same time.
It was just the 1 person do extractions, all bone work, implants, stitches & fitted teeth. They have a lab of site but 1 of the technicians was at the dentist all times.
When your going through the fitting of the permanent teeth ( there was quite a few appointments for this stage ) be sure to tell them if your not liking something about the teeth. I absolutely hated the first set of upper teeth, there was no way I could have lived with them. We had a new set made exactly how I wanted them. Took an extra hour and half appointment to work out how’s, I had 4 more teeth added, the teeth shorter and slimmer, and just delicate looking. My dentist was at the lab when they was being made and had a lady technician make them. They are the teeth I have now and are

Hi! Trying to get answers from two different dentists is difficult. I definitely see the advantage in having it done all in one place!

Did your dentist explain what happens in the event of a failure on your upper? With All On 6, does the implant have to come out, or can you avoid surgery altogether? The advantage of 6 is that one can fail and you don't have to have a new prosthesis made ... is that what you were told?

Did they explain what happens if there is a failure with an All On 4?

I had another question, but can't remember now .... >.<

Thanks for telling me about saying something if I want to make a change to the permanent teeth. I'll have questions about that, I'm sure, but for now I'm busy trying to figure out whether to go 4 or 6. Cost difference is $5000 USD.

My dentist said we bite down with 5 times the amount of pressure with implants than we would are own teeth so if we your grinding your teeth it's going to do some damage. Unfortunately there was no evidence that I use to grind my own teeth so it wasn't taken in to account when my permanent teeth was made. On day 5 now with the dreaded temporary teeth back in and I can honestly say I absolutely hate them. Roll on Friday 11.30am. Hope all good with you.

I am 6 months in, and tbh, I hate everything about them, I too never suffered with grinding teeth prior to my surgery, within a few days, I snapped one off in the middle of the night and then another 2 weeks later. I can honestly say that I really do dislike them, and in another life would not go down that road again def a thumbs down for me 100%

Take heart and do not despair. It has been 3 years since my surgery and I only think about my teeth as implants when I go for a checkup and my nightly ritual of flossing and using the waterpik. I eat when I want and what I want with no difficulty. I only visit the dentist on 6 month checkups. There is a major difference in the permanents from the temps. The bite is exactly right, they feel right, and they look right. Give everyting a chance and if they do not get it right, have your dentist change them until the are right. I had mutiple wax tryins to get them right because I knew the temps were not. I was told from the beginning by my surgeon I would not like the temps. I didn't. He also told me I would love the permanents. After a few months I did. Still do.

AMAZING!

Thank you

I'm not 100% sure to be honest. When all options was being discussed ( way back when ) so many things was said. I do remember zirconia being mentioned. I know my dentist ruled some thing out as he felt the overall look wouldn't be the best option for me with my work ( I'm a beauty therapist ) but I do recall him saying something about the permanents being the strongest type. Sorry I can't be much help. All the paperwork I have from the dentist is filed away.