Credit: Dr. Paulo Malo of Lisbon, Portugal and his team created and developed the “All-on-4tm” surgical technique and the fixed prosthesis, MALO CLINIC Bridgetm.
All on 4tm Dental Implant Treatment Concept
Dental Implant is one of the most wonderful inventions and the best solution to replace missing teeth; however it is still out of reach by most patients due to the high cost or lack of bone in the jaws to receive dental implants. Conventionally and traditionally, to give a patient a fixed bridge to replace a jaw of missing teeth, as many as 8 to 12 implants are required. Often times patients do not even have enough bone for these many implants. Bone grafting would then be required, adding yet higher cost and complicity. A simplified and less costly approach is to place 4 implants in the front segment of the jaws to allow a fixed bridge, almost as long as a complete set of teeth in one jaw, to be provided to a patient. This procedure is fast becoming one of the most routine approach in our office for patients who qualify for it.
This approach demands the surgeon to have intimate knowledge of the patient's jaw anatomy (made possible by the surgeon's knowledge of anatomy and visualization by CT imaging) and be very experienced and skillful. It also demands that the restorative dentist be skillful and verstile in dental prosthesis. A dental laboratory that is fully trained in this approach is also essential.