What is the difference between the All-on-4, All-on-6, and All-on-X?
To get right to the point, they are all basically the same treatment with the only difference being the number of dental implants placed. The term "All" in the name is referring to the entire prosthetic as a single piece and the number at the end represents the number of implants that are placed to attach the prosthetic to the mouth. So in short, All-on-4 uses four implants, and the All-on-6 uses six implants. The "X" in All-on-X simply means that the number of implants will be decided by the doctor and the patient.
For our purposes, we will use All-on-X to refer to all of these procedures.
Which one is the best?
Generally speaking, when there is sufficient bone, more implants is better. This is because implants support the restoration and help maintain healthy bone. It should be noted that more implants usually translates to a higher cost, which is one of the reasons the All-on-4 became so popular as a solution to place fewer implants but restore all of the teeth.
When is the All-on-X the best option?
The All-on-X would be the appropriate choice for a full mouth restoration when there has been significant bone loss inside of the mouth. The All-on-X uses artificial gums above the teeth which makes up for the spacing where the bone loss has occurred. The restoration is bulky both to add strength and to fill in the mouth. For a patient with severe bone loss, without using the artificial gums, the face of the patient can look sunken in and unnatural.
When is the All-on-X a poor option?
The All-on-X should generally be avoided when the patient has not suffered a significant amount of bone loss. This is because healthy bone should be preserved whenever possible and in this circumstance a provider would have to remove healthy bone from the patient's mouth to get the All-on-X to fit. For this reason, the 3 on 6™ is the recommended option for people who don’t have significant bone loss. The 3 on 6™ uses bridges on dental implants without the use of artificial gums or bone removal.
Where can I get more information about all of these procedures?
You can ready more on this website but the best thing would be to have a free consultation with a licensed 3 on 6â„¢ provider. 3 on 6â„¢ provider dentists can offer both 3 on 6â„¢ and All-on-X procedures as appropriate for each patient.
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