Daley Street Dental

What question should I ask when I am getting quotes for All-on-4®?

What clinics in and outside of Australia offer under the title ‘ All-on-4®’ varies significantly in terms of the process, experience and the quality of the product being used. Questions I would ask to help understand what I was getting would be:

  1. What brand of implants am I getting? Only Nobel Biocare is specifically designed for this procedure and has over 20 years of scientific evidence behind their success rates.
  2. When do I get the initial bridge? Is it on the day of the surgery or is the clinic going to have to send it away to be made meaning you will have no teeth and no protection to the surgical site for 2-3 days.
  3. Are my extractions and sedation costs on top of the advertised All-on-4®quote? Ensure the quote you receive is the total amount you need to pay and there is no chance for variations if things do not go as planned during surgery?
  4. Do I get 2 bridges, or do I get the permanent one straight away? Meaning is my permanent bridge getting made after the implants have had time to integrate and gums completely heal or is it being made on the day after the surgery. It is important to ask what will happen if the gums shrink as they heal and food gets stuck under them or I am not 100% happy with the look of the teeth on the first attempt?
  5. What is the final bridge made out of? Bridges are made from different materials and should have a titanium bar to support it. The cost of the  All-on-4® procedure with the final ceramic bridge without a titanium bar is the weakest option and costs $15,000-$20,000. The procedure with an acrylic bridge (with denture teeth) on a titanium bar ranges from $20,000-25,000. The procedure with ceramic teeth on a titanium bar ranges from $25,000-$35,000. 
  6. What is the cost to me if the final bridge chips, breaks or the teeth de-bond over the next 5-10 years? Teeth without a supporting bar have poor survival rates.  Denture teeth and acrylic with a titanium bar have over an 80% chance of fracture or breakage in the first 10 years that is why we recommend Ceramic on Titanium and it is the only option we offer for a single arch.