All-on-4® vs. Single Crown Implants: Which Is Right for Me?

If you’re missing teeth, you’re at risk for oral health complications. Thankfully, advancements in dental technology provide options that make it easy to replace missing teeth.

At American Dental Clinic in San Diego, California, Emmanuel Aguilar, DMD, and our professional dental team offer single crown dental implants and All-on-4® implants. Here, find out which one is right for your dental needs.

Are you a candidate for a dental implant?

If you’re looking to replace missing teeth, we first have to determine if you’re a candidate for dental implants. We evaluate your oral health to look for issues like cavities, gum disease, or bone density problems that need to be addressed.

Most common oral health issues can be treated quickly. However, if your jawbone isn’t strong enough to serve as an anchor for your implant, we may need to perform a bone graft before your dental implant procedure. It can take about three months for a bone graft to heal.

Understanding dental implants

A dental implant is a titanium post that we surgically place in your jawbone. It takes about 3-6 months for the implant to fuse to your jawbone and heal. 

The implant provides a firm foundation for an artificial replacement tooth. The post mimics tooth roots in your mouth and helps prevent bone loss in your jaw.

Implants can support bridges to fill in gaps left by multiple missing teeth, and they can also support dentures, providing an excellent alternative to traditional, removable dentures.

Dental implant options 

With dental implants, you have options to restore your missing teeth:

Single crown dental implants

Single crown implants are an excellent option when you’re missing one or a few teeth. Once your dental implant has been surgically placed and your jaw has healed, we attach an abutment to your implant. We then place a single crown atop the abutment. 

We can place multiple single-tooth implants if you have several teeth that need restoration.

Single crown implants require several procedures — placing the implant, attaching the abutment, and topping the implant with a new prosthetic tooth or teeth.

All-on-4

You might consider an All-on-4 procedure if you’re missing most or all of your top or bottom teeth. It only takes four dental implants to support a full arch on your upper or lower jaw. A set of full or partial dentures is then attached to the implants.

We place the implants in the back of your mouth at an angle to anchor your prosthetic teeth.

One of the major advantages of the All-on-4 procedure is that we can complete the process in one dental appointment, allowing you to go home with a complete restoration. 

To schedule a consultation with Dr. Aguilar to discuss which dental implant option is right for you, call American Dental Clinic today at 858-216-4662 or book your visit online.