Restorative

Why The All On X Treatment Concept Is A Win For Everyone

Written by Ethan Gould | Mar 23, 2021 11:28:28 PM

Once upon a time, dentures were the only thing available to replace missing teeth, especially if the patient needed full mouth rehab.

I remember dentures as these strange, alien-looking things that would float in a glass at my grandparent’s house and slip around in someone’s mouth when they tried to talk.

Dentures have been around for centuries, in fact, cavemen used to fashion dentures out of human and animal teeth. George Washington famously had a pair of dentures that were so grossly discoloured that people thought they were made of wood.

While the majority of dentures don’t look quite THAT bad, they’re generally a pretty big inconvenience for those wearing them.

  • You can’t wear dentures overnight.
  • They never look like real, natural teeth.
  • You can’t eat certain foods with them in, so say goodbye to caramel, apples and corn on the cob.
  • There’s a much higher risk of gum disease if food ever becomes trapped in the dentures.
  • They’ll break if you’re too rough with them and need to be replaced every 3-6 years on average.

Thanks to advancements in dentistry, we can say goodbye to archaic dentures that sit uncomfortably in the patient’s mouth and embrace more innovative and modern ways to fix someone’s smile.

Like the All On X treatment concept.

What Is All On X?

The All On X treatment concept is a revolutionary way of doing dental implants. It refers to supporting all teeth with however many implants are required.

Dr Pedro Rodrigues has been perfecting the technique for well over 13 years now. Ahead of his new lecture series, Dr Rodrigues spoke on the importance of All On X and why every dentist should know about it.

“I truly believe that because this is such an amazing and powerful technique for doing full-arch implant surgery, it should be accessible to every dentist around the world,” he said. “If you’re able to learn these very powerful techniques, you’ll not only change your patient’s life but consequently your own!”

Pedro spent four years working with Dr Paulo Malo, (inventor of the All-On-Four technique) at his very well known clinic in Porto, Portugal. He’s treated more than 1000 cases with the All On X treatment concept and has developed a special concept that provides immediate loading in only three hours with beautiful aesthetics and high success rates.

“At first, many concepts might seem new to you, or perhaps they appear to be counter-intuitive. I’ll teach you things that might be the opposite of what you learned at school or in dental books, but it will ultimately help the patient lead a better life,” he said. “Our mission is to help you become an expert in full arch cases, by applying the most reliable and advanced techniques in this field of dentistry.”

So, how does the All On X treatment concept actually work?

How All On X Works

Step 1 - CT Scan

Before patients can receive the All On X treatment, they’ll first need to have a CT scan performed on them. A CT scan will allow you to carefully plan the procedure and find the perfect positioning for the dental implants. Some patients also decide to get a dental mould produced as well, which further assists the dental bridge designers in making a specific bridge for the patient.

Step 2 - Teeth design

Once the CT scan has been completed, a dental lab technician will get to work designing the teeth and ensuring they’re a perfect fit for the patient. This is usually completed through computer-assisted design and the end result is a 3D model of the final bridge which is used in the procedure.

Step 3 - Implementation

Now that all the preparation has been done, the patient is ready to receive their life-changing new smile. First, you have to extract any decayed or remaining teeth to make way for the implant screws. Then, the bridge is anchored into the jaw bone, the anchorage technique used in All On X provides a much more stable base than other techniques.

Step 4 - Final placement

After the patient has undergone a healing process of approximately 3 months, the temporary teeth that were used during the procedure are replaced with the permanent bridge. Allowing the mouth to heal ensures that the final implants can provide a much more stable result. Once the final bridge has been inserted, the patient can enjoy their new smile which will last them a lifetime.

Benefits for the patient

There are many benefits of the All On X treatment concept for those who are looking to transform their smile, these include:

  • Less costly - doesn’t require any bone grafts which add to the cost of the procedure.
  • Single-visit procedure - the implants are planted on the same day as extraction which allows for the patient to be treated quickly.
  • Less invasive - the procedure is much less intense than alternatives, which is comforting for patients who might have anxiety around dental work.
  • Personalised implants - the CT scan and digital teeth design give the patient the perfect bite and aesthetics.
  • Quick - can be placed in 3-4 hours.
  • Aesthetically pleasing - Natural-looking and much more stable than other implant options.

Benefits for the dentist

The benefits for dentists who can adequately perform the All On X procedure are numerous:

  • Reproducible - the basics are always the same.
  • Efficient - it’s a comprehensible step by step process that can be completed in 24 hours.
  • Simple - once you’ve learnt the procedure, it’s always the same process.
  • Immediate - can be loaded in 3-4 hours.
  • Predictable - you get the same results each time.
  • Affordable - you can complete the procedure in 1 appointment as opposed to spending months dealing with the same case, freeing up both your time and the patient’s time.
  • Profitable - because you can see more patients in a quicker time span, it helps build your practice and invoices are typically much larger than alternative implant methods.
  • The success rate is 98% - Very little implant loss or implant redo's, as confirmed by Dr Pedro Rodrigues.

The benefits to both the patient and the dentist mean that the All On X Treatment Concept really is a win-win for everyone.

“This is THE most efficient way to fix teeth, all you need is one appointment to actually perform the surgery,” says Dr Rodrigues. “You should offer this type of treatment to your patients if they can afford to say no to dentures. If you’re unsure of how to do it, you should work with your colleagues. Remember, this is a team job! Work together because your patients deserve it.”

“Because you’re learning a technique, you don’t need any fancy materials or equipment… just your own brain and hands!”

Find out more about this life-changing procedure by joining Dr Rodrigues in his latest lecture series.