We do not have to replace each missing tooth with a separate dental implant post. If you have lost all of the teeth in your upper or lower jaw, a small number of implants can support a full arch of new teeth that will not slip at unexpected moments and will let you eat what you want. At Heck Family Dentistry of Lawrence, Dr. Ryan Brittingham places and restores implants here in our office, so one team handles your case from the first scan through your final set of teeth.
• One team, start to finish. Your implants are placed and restored right here, in-house, with no bouncing between separate providers.
• Bone loss does not rule you out. Many patients who have already experienced bone loss are still candidates, often without a bone graft.
• Comfort built in. Sedation through the Kansas Center for Sedation Dentistry, so you rest through the entire procedure.
• Advanced imaging. CBCT scanning maps your jaw in 3D before treatment begins, so your plan is based on real measurements rather than estimation.
Traditional implant treatment can require eight or more implants per arch, and often a bone graft to support them. All-on-4 works differently. It uses the bone you already have, and the implants are angled when needed to anchor into denser bone and avoid the sinus cavity. That angle is what makes the difference, and it is why many patients who were told they needed a graft do not.
All-on-4 is the name most people know this treatment by, but the number of implants is determined by your own anatomy rather than by a formula. Dr. Brittingham places as many as your case requires, sometimes four and sometimes more. You will know your plan before surgery day, because it is designed from your own 3D scan.
Permanent dentures and full-arch implants usually describe the same thing: a set of teeth fixed in place that does not come out. A conventional denture is a different treatment, and both are reasonable answers to the same problem.
A conventional denture rests on your gums, held by suction and often adhesive. It costs less and is faster to complete, and for some patients it works well for years. What it cannot do is stop the bone underneath from changing, which is why a denture that fit well at the start often needs relining or remaking after a few years.
Implant-supported teeth are anchored in the bone and load it the way natural roots do. They do not slip, they do not come out at night, and most people eat what they want. The upfront cost is higher, but a denture is a repeating expense and implants generally are not.
Dr. Brittingham provides both, so the recommendation you get is based on your mouth rather than on what happens to be available.
One of the biggest differences between All-on-4 and traditional implant treatment is how much happens in a single visit. Because Dr. Brittingham performs the extractions, places the implants, and delivers your fixed temporary prosthesis in-house, most patients walk out the same day with a full set of teeth.
• 1. Consultation and 3D scan. A CBCT scan maps your bone structure so your implant plan is designed before surgery day, not during it.
• 2. Sedation. A nurse anesthetist administers your IV sedation and monitors you for the entire procedure. Most patients remember little to nothing of the day.
• 3. Extractions. Any remaining failing teeth are removed and the site is prepared for implant placement.
• 4. Implant placement. Implants are positioned using your digital surgical plan, angled when needed to make the most of your available bone.
• 5. Same-day teeth. Your fixed temporary prosthesis is attached to the implants and you go home with a complete smile.
All-on-4 replaces all of the teeth in a single arch, making it an excellent choice for people who have lost all or most of their upper or lower teeth. Since the procedure requires less jawbone density than traditional implants, it may even be a good fit for people who have already experienced bone loss due to missing teeth. In some cases, it can eliminate the need for a bone graft.
Bear in mind, though, that you still need to be able to maintain good oral health. If you do not take care of your mouth, you might end up developing gum disease, which is a major cause of dental implant failure.
Both of these patients came in with worn, failing teeth and years of avoiding photographs. Their full arches were restored by Dr. Brittingham. All photos are unretouched.
Years of failing, worn teeth restored with a fixed full-arch prosthesis.
Chipped, worn and decayed teeth replaced with a fixed full arch.
Photos are of actual patients treated by Dr. Brittingham, used with permission. Individual results vary based on your own dental and medical condition.
• Easy maintenance. Your new teeth are fixed in place. Instead of taking them out for cleanings, you brush and floss them like natural teeth.
• Natural feel. Because implants fuse with your jawbone, they come far closer to feeling like your original teeth than removable dentures do.
• Enhanced chewing power. The stability of dental implants makes it easier to eat foods that are difficult to chew with traditional dentures.
• Prevents jawbone loss. Implants stimulate the jawbone and slow the deterioration that follows tooth loss, helping preserve your facial structure.
• It can take up to eight traditionally placed implants to support a full denture. Because All-on-4 requires fewer implant posts, less surgery is needed.
• Traditional implants sometimes require a bone graft first. With All-on-4, a graft can often be avoided altogether.
• Implants placed using the All-on-4 technique are often able to support a fixed set of teeth right away, so you receive new teeth much sooner.
Ryan L. Brittingham, DDS
Diplomate, International Congress of Oral Implantologists
Dr. Ryan Brittingham has spent more than two decades helping patients rebuild what they had given up on. A Kansas native from Hutchinson, he earned his degree in Human Biology from the University of Kansas before graduating from Creighton University School of Dentistry in 2001.
He began his career in comprehensive family and cosmetic dentistry, building and running his own Lawrence practice for twenty years. Over time, the patients who needed him most were not the ones coming in for routine care. They were the ones who had been told nothing could be done. Failing teeth. Years of temporary fixes. Dentures that never fit right. That shift moved his focus toward complex surgical dentistry and full-arch reconstruction, and it has defined his work ever since.
Dr. Brittingham is a Diplomate of the International Congress of Oral Implantologists, a distinction earned through examination and documented surgical experience. He completed the full Misch International Implant Institute curriculum and has trained through the Pikos Institute, Hybridge Full Arch Certification, and CT-guided implant programs. He holds Level II anesthesia licensure with the Kansas Dental Board along with IV sedation certification.
He has published in Aesthetic Dentistry Journal and taught full-arch technique to other dentists as a lecturer for Arrowhead Dental Laboratory’s Over the Shoulder course.
A consultation is an exam, a 3D scan, and a conversation about what your options actually are. You will get a personalized estimate for your own case rather than a range copied off a website.
If you are in Lawrence, Eudora, Baldwin City, or the surrounding area, call us at (785) 856-8550 or request an appointment online. You can also read more about who tends to be a good candidate or compare every option for replacing missing teeth.