6 Crucial Tips for Getting All on 4 Dental Implants in Mexico
All on 4 implants is a revolutionary dental procedure that can give you a brand new smile in just one day. If you’re considering All on 4 implants in Mexico, here are 6 crucial tips you need to know.
by Dayo Dental |Updated on 2 September 2022
Interested in getting All on 4 dental implants in Mexico? We would like to help.
All on 4 dental implants by Nobel Biocare was a game changer when it came out several years ago. It continues to be an excellent full upper or lower teeth replacement procedure. Since then, other dental implant manufacturers have introduced their own line of implants using the same tilted dental implant technique.
Here at Dayo Dental, we work every day with All on 4 dental patients who go to Mexico to get this same procedure successfully at a much lower cost. You save tremendously.
The typical price for an All on 4 procedure in the US is $25,000 to $30,000 per arch. For the full mouth, you are looking at close to $60,000.
In Mexico, you can get the similar procedures for around $9500 to $12,500. Those are savings of $15,500 to $17,500. With a full mouth restoration, you save approximately $31,000 to $35,000.
But All on 4 dental implants are one of the most technically challenging procedures for any dentist, even for oral surgeons and periodontists. As a patient, you need to educate yourself before going to Mexico. We want to ensure you don’t end up with a bad procedure from a bad dentist.
Here are the tips that we’ve compiled from our daily experience about All on 4 implants in Mexico:
All on 4 Mexico Tip #1:
Learn the difference among All on 4 vs Overdenture vs Fixed Bridge
It’s common for people to interchange the term “All on 4” with Implant Overdentures or Fixed Bridge procedures. Patients travelling to Mexico often mistake All on 4 as any full upper or lower teeth restoration using 4 dental implants.
The main difference between All on 4 and the other types of procedures is the use of tilted implants in the front section of the mouth (see image above). Overdentures (also called implant supported dentures, snap on dentures or dentures secured with implants) and Fixed Bridge (also called Fixed Hybrid) use standard vertical implants. They can also be completed using 4 dental implants per jaw.
The prosthetic or teeth on All on 4 and Fixed Bridge are fixed or non-removable. With Overdentures, you can detach the prosthetic yourself from the implants to clean it.
It is also common for dental tourism travelers to use the term All on 6 or All on 8 in Mexico to refer to a Fixed Bridge / Fixed Hybrid that uses 6 or 8 standard implants per jaw. But there is no such thing as All on 8 in Mexico using tilted implants. The correct term would be a Fixed Bridge with 8 implants.
Yes, Nobel Biocare has All on 6 in Mexico that uses tilted implants. However, All on 6 is a less common procedure. Top dentists in Mexico usually recommend standard vertical implants if you need 6 dental implants per jaw.
Furthermore, “All on 4” is a term specific for the original manufacturer Nobel Biocare. However, many implant manufacturers have created their own versions of the same technique, including Straumann and Biomet 3i.
What top All on 4 Mexico dentists will advise you:
“There are several options for full teeth replacement. The ideal type for your case will depend on your goals, jawbone structure, lifestyle, age, health, and budget. During the consultation, we will take a CT Scan and have a thorough discussion to give the best possible full mouth restoration that is ideal for your case.
Alternatively, you can first see a local Periodontist or implant specialist for a consultation to determine which type would be ideal for your case. This will educate you regarding the best option ideal for your case before getting All on 4 dental implants in Mexico.”
All on 4 Mexico Tip #2:
All on 4 dental implants are not for everyone
All on 4 is not the “go to” procedure for full upper or lower fixed teeth restoration. It’s only recommended for very specific cases.
How do we know this?
Top Mexico dentists will say that in most cases, you are better off with standard dental implants (vertically placed implants).
Here at Dayo Dental, we educate ourselves by regularly attending the latest dentistry courses, including All on Four live implant courses taught by top U.S. dentists. Even the Nobel Biocare representatives during the course say that standard dental implants are better than All on Four if conditions of your bone are right.
According to Nobel Biocare, All on 4 dental implants are designed for two major reasons:
1. You don’t have good bone in your back jaw (back teeth)
2. You HAVE good bone in your front jaw (front teeth)
What top All on 4 Mexico dentists will advise you:
“If you are a good candidate for standard implants, choose standard dental implant restoration over All on 4 dental implants in Mexico. Vertical implants absorb the force better than tilted implants. There are several excellent options such as fixed hybrid bridges that use standard dental implants. The only difference in terms of treatment between standard dental implants and All on 4 implants is 4 months. (This will be explained next.)”
All on 4 Mexico Tip #3:
It will take at least two trips to get All on 4 dental implants in Mexico
The most common motivation for people to choose All on 4 dental implants in Mexico is the rapid result. You can get all your teeth extracted, 4 implants installed, and new immediate load teeth attached to the implants in one surgery. You don’t have to wear temporary dentures that are not attached to the dental implants, which are typical with overdenture or fixed bridge restorations.
However, keep in mind that the new full teeth replacement attached to the dental implants is provisional (temporary). It means that you have to go back after approximately 4 months after the All on 4 implants have healed to replace the provisional with permanent fixed teeth in Mexico.
What top All on 4 Mexico dentists will advise you:
“Include in our budget planning the cost of two trips to Mexico to get your permanent fixed teeth after the implants have fully healed.”
All on 4 Mexico Tip #4:
Your new teeth can’t be fixed (attached) every time during the day of surgery
Teeth in a day? Not always.
All on 4 is designed as immediate load dental implants. This means that you can attach the provisional denture to the implants during the same implant installation surgery.
Any good oral surgeon in Mexico will tell you that every surgery is different. In the case of All on 4, the dentist may or may not be able to attach or load the fixed teeth (denture) during the day of the surgery.
Why? Your front jaw bone has to have the right height, thickness and quality. Oftentimes, your dentist can only make this decision to load the implants (attach the teeth) after seeing your CT scans when you are in Mexico.
Even during the surgery, your Mexico dentist can make the on-the-spot decision not to load the All on Four implants if he doesn’t get enough torque on the implants after they are attached. In this case, he would install temporary removable dentures after the surgery. You let the dental implants heal for 4 months, and then you go back to Mexico for the dentist to install the permanent fixed teeth.
What top All on 4 Mexico dentists will advise you:
“We can’t guarantee 100% that your fixed prosthesis will be loaded on the first trip to Mexico. You may end up with temporary dentures to wear for 4 months. We do our best to plan for the procedure using the CT Scan. We can make a decision after evaluating your CT Scan, but even during the surgery, we may decide to not attach the provisional fixed denture. We do this to avoid any failure of the implants and more trips to Mexico.”
All on 4 Mexico Tip #5:
If you are young, big or strong, choose standard implants over All on 4 dental implants in Mexico
With All on 4 treatment, if one implant fails, typically you would have to redo the entire procedure.
With standard (vertically placed) dental implants such as those with a fixed bridge, you can just remove the one implant that failed and replace it with a new implant. You can also add new dental implants per jaw as necessary.
Who knows how your health will be as you get older.
Likewise, if you are a big person with a strong bite, standard implants can carry the biting force better. Similarly, people with big jaw structure are better off with standard implants. All on 4 typically can only support 10 teeth per jaw. All on 6, which is another less common variation of All on 4, can support 12 teeth per jaw. Your Mexico dentist can build a new implant-supported Fixed Bridge with up to 14 teeth per jaw with standard implants. This will give you more molars / back teeth to chew with.
What top All on 4 dentists in Mexico will advise you:
“If you are young and will use your fixed teeth for 30 or 40 years, you are better off with standard implants. If you are big and have a strong bite, choose standard implants to minimize failure and to have more teeth in your mouth.”
All on 4 Mexico Tip #6:
Almost every dental clinic in Mexico advertises for All on 4, but only few have the experience and skills to perform the procedure
If you look online, almost every dental clinic in Mexico says they do the All on Four dental implant procedure. In reality, only few are really qualified to do the procedure.
After being an observer in several All on 4 courses with both US dentists and Mexico dentists, we can say that it is one of the most complex dental procedures. You not only have to be a seasoned implant specialist, you also need advanced knowledge in balancing the bite (as with a Prosthodontist). Hence, you only see a few dentists in the U.S. or Canada that perform this complete All on 4 procedure.
Some dental clinics in Mexico, such as in Los Algodones or Cancun, have an external oral surgeon who visit the practice to perform the procedure. But who will be accountable for the long term results?
Even Periodontists or Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons in Mexico graduate from specialty school without having performed a single procedure for All on 4 dental implants in Mexico.
You have to take special courses and be under the guidance of an experienced dentist to gain proficiency with this procedure.
Even in the Dayo Dental Network, where we include only the top 5% dentists in Mexico, we only approve select dentists to perform this procedure on Dayo Dental clients. Typically, there is a Prosthodontist in the same dental practice who will work in tandem with the implant specialist to complete the entire procedure.
What top All on 4 Mexico dentists will advise you:
“Do your research to know exactly the credentials of the dentist you will be visiting. It’s not enough just to know which dental practice you will visit. You have to know who will be the dentist and what his qualifications are. You also get what you pay for. If you shop for low prices, you might get an inexperienced dentist. This can easily double or triple your cost and time due to rework, plus the toll on your health. Also, some dentists who offer cheaper prices use lower quality brands of All on 4 implants.
Are you interested in getting All on 4 dental implants in Mexico? Talk to Dayo Dental at 877-987-3296 to discuss your case and get more advice. When you are ready, we can schedule you with the right dentist in our network and assist you throughout the process, from start to finish.
Avoid the guesswork. With Dayo Dental, we remove all the hassles of choosing the right dentist and ensure that you get only the most qualified dentists in Mexico for your All on 4 dental implant procedure.
Dayo Dental is a US-based company helping American and Canadian customers find the most reputable and qualified dentists in Mexico. Through Dayo Dental Network of pre-vetted dental practitioners, clients can find the top dentists in their field offering top-notch dental services for, often times, a fraction of the cost of US/Canadian prices.