Your dental arch is the curved bone structure that houses the teeth on either your upper or lower jaw, as well as your gums and alveolar bone. If you’ve experienced severe illness, injury or decay resulting in profound tooth loss, you may be missing all or most of your teeth from either or both arches. A full-arch dental prosthesis, otherwise known as a fixed implant bridge, replaces an entire arch of missing teeth so that you can eat, drink, speak and smile again.
The All-on-4® treatment is a form of full-arch dental prosthesis that replaces an entire arch of new teeth with four dental implants: two positioned in the front and two at the back in either the upper or lower jawbone. A procedure that provides a genuine-looking new smile in as little as 24 hours, All-on-4® offers a fixed long-term solution whether you’ve been living with dentures or putting up with gaps in your smile.
Yet adjusting to All-on-4® takes time, much like adapting to any significant change. While the procedure has a 98% success rate and a shorter recovery time than traditional dental implants, there’s still a recovery period. But with the right kind of aftercare and tips, you’ll drink, speak and eat with your new full arch prosthesis sooner than you may think. Here is how Next Smile Australia can help you acquire and care for your new smile.
Getting Used To Your New Long-Lasting Prosthesis
Taking time to recover is an integral part of the process for any type of dental treatment. All-on-4® is no different. While it won’t take long until you can enjoy your new teeth the way you used to, there are still some recommendations you should consider when adjusting to All-on-4®.
Next Smile Australia follows the ‘Malo Protocol’ for All-on-4® treatment, a two-bridge process developed by Dr. Paulo Malo. In the first stage, we provide a provisional bridge, which you wear first for at least three to six months while the dental implants fuse with your jawbone (a process called osseointegration). This initial bridge acts as a "training set," allowing your mouth to heal and adapt to speaking, eating and smiling. It also enables any necessary aesthetic and speech adjustments to be made before moving to the definitive final bridge, ensuring a perfect fit and function.
Here are some tips for adjusting to All-on-4® so you can resume using your teeth the way you used to as quickly as possible:
Tips for Talking
All-on-4® doesn’t cause any permanent changes in your speech patterns. The dental implants are positioned to fit well and feel almost natural to facilitate proper positioning of the lips, tongue and palate, which are important for clear speech. It can take a few weeks to a few months to speak fluently and comfortably with new dental implants, but there are ways you can accelerate the process.
Some ways to make speaking with a full arch prosthesis easier include:
- Practice speaking slowly and carefully, focusing on more difficult sounds.
- Read aloud.
- Do speech therapy exercises.
- Have plenty of conversations.
- Sing along to songs.
Tips for Eating
Eating with a new full-arch prosthesis also has its share of challenges. In the first few days after your surgery, you’ll need to stick to soft or blended foods and avoid hot beverages. You should give hard or crunchy foods a miss during the first 12 weeks of getting used to All-on-4®. It’s also best to avoid hot and spicy foods, which may irritate the dental implant sites and slow your healing down.
Tips for Cleaning
Following proper All-on-4® aftercare procedures helps you get used to your All-on-4® dental implants faster and helps them to feel more like natural teeth. Fortunately, All-on-4® dental implants aren’t difficult to clean or maintain. You can brush them the same way you would natural teeth, twice a day with a soft bristle toothbrush right up to your gum line. Make sure you floss to get rid of the food that gets trapped between the bridge and your gums. This is done by using a waterpik to clean around and under the bridges, which is highly recommended. Book regular professional cleans to ensure your new dental implants are fully functional and placed in optimal positions.
Follow these tips as best you can, and you’ll find that adjusting to All-on-4® isn’t as difficult a process as you may expect.
How It May Feel While Adjusting to Your All-on-4® Teeth
Adjusting to All-on-4® teeth is a process. If you switch from dentures to All-on-4®, you’ll probably experience some discomfort initially. However, as your relationship with your dental implants progresses, the way the prosthesis feels in your mouth will evolve. While the All-on-4® bridge is more streamlined than dentures, it might initially feel bulky. Over time, you’ll find that an All-on-4® prosthesis is more comfortable than dentures because it's fixed into position and doesn’t shift awkwardly out of place.
Adjusting to All-on-4® teeth can make you feel a range of sensations, including soreness, pressure, tenderness and sensitivity. It might take some time to adjust your way of eating, speaking, and chewing with your new smile. However, these symptoms will subside, and over time, you’ll most likely find All-on-4® teeth a comfortable substitute for the functionality of your natural teeth.
Why Adjusting To All-on-4® Teeth May Take Time
It takes time to adjust to All-on-4®, and there’s no set timeframe between the date of your operation and the sensation of your new teeth feeling natural in your mouth. The process is different for every person, depending on their circumstances. Your previous dental and medical history, jawbone density, age, overall health and how well you follow aftercare instructions are all contributing factors to how long adjusting to All-on-4® takes. Pre-existing conditions like bruxism, temporomandibular joint disorders (TMJ) and other dental issues can lead to a longer, slower adjustment period.
If you switch from dentures to a full arch prosthesis, the change of sensation in your mouth may not be as significant or profound as getting dental implants after living with missing teeth. Your personal pain threshold, as well as your mental and emotional states, can also influence how easily you adapt to All-on-4®. While you won’t become comfortable with your new smile overnight, recovery and adjusting is still much quicker than with traditional dental implants.
Find Your Renewed Smile at Next Smile Australia
Whether you’ve been dealing with dentures or just living with missing or badly damaged teeth, Next Smile Australia can provide you with a brilliant new smile.
At Next Smile Australia, our focus is on your personal journey towards a smile you no longer have to hide. If you’re eligible for All-on-4®, our personalised treatment timeline begins with a consultation with a Next Smile Australia team member.
Our Super Clinics are built to allow our team to administer patients the highest levels of care. We have highly trained and accomplished dental surgeons and anaesthetists and provide industry-leading treatment. Our onsite clinics also have in-house dental laboratories and state-of-the-art surgical rooms with leading safety facilities, dental imaging facilities, and in-house dental laboratories.
If you’d like to find out more about the All-on-4® treatment or arrange a personal consultation, get in touch with the Next Smile Australia team.