I have a dental phobia. What should I do?

‍For patients with dental phobia, it's important to choose a dental clinic and a team of professionals who understand their fears and can provide a caring, empathetic, and patient-oriented approach to treatment.

At Dr. Kraus Dental Clinic, we are experienced in dealing with dental anxiety and are committed to creating a calming and safe environment. Here are a few strategies we employ and recommend:

1. Open Communication: Share your fears and concerns with us. Knowing what makes you anxious allows us to adapt our approach to make you more comfortable.‍

2. Sedation Dentistry: We offer various sedation options to help make your dental procedures more comfortable. These options include mild sedatives, nitrous oxide (also known as laughing gas), and even general anesthesia for more extensive procedures or severe cases of dental phobia. The right choice depends on the patient's individual needs and the complexity of the dental procedure.‍

3. Familiarize Yourself: We encourage you to familiarize yourself with our clinic, your personal treatment coordinator and staff before your procedure. This can help to create a sense of comfort and familiarity, reducing anxiety.‍

4. Take it One Step at a Time: We're happy to proceed at a pace that you're comfortable with, and we can start with less invasive procedures to gradually help you overcome your fear.

‍5. Distraction Techniques: Some patients find it helpful to listen to calming music or focus on visual aids during procedures.‍

6. Comprehensive Explanation: We will thoroughly explain each step of the procedure to you. Knowing what to expect can often reduce fear and anxiety.

Remember, our ultimate goal is to ensure that you feel comfortable and safe while receiving the best possible dental care. Your journey to a healthy smile doesn't have to be a distressing experience. With the right approach, we can turn it into a positive one.

Although dental implant treatments have become a standard treatment for tooth loss, they are not included in the catalogue of services covered by statutory insurance funds.

However, for the dental prosthesis on the All-on-4 implants, they do provide a subsidy in the form of a general fixed subsidy for the dental prosthesis.

Maintaining and extending the durability of your All-on-4 dental implants largely relies on good oral hygiene practices and regular dental check-ups. Here are some guidelines to ensure the longevity of your All-on-4 dental implants:‍

1. Practice Good Oral Hygiene: Just like natural teeth, dental implants require regular cleaning. Brush at least twice a day, floss daily, and consider using interdental brushes or water flossers (not with zygomatic implants!) to clean hard-to-reach areas around your implants.‍

2. Regular Dental Check-ups: Regular visits to your dentist are crucial. They will check the condition of your implants, the health of your gums, and clean areas that are difficult to reach at home.‍

3. Healthy Diet: Eating a balanced diet is beneficial for overall oral health. Avoid excessive consumption of sugary foods and drinks, as they can lead to plaque buildup, which can potentially cause problems for both natural teeth and dental implants.‍

4. Avoid Smoking and Excessive Alcohol: Smoking can inhibit healing and can cause gum disease, which can lead to implant failure. Excessive alcohol can also affect oral health, so moderation is key.‍

5. Don't Ignore Issues: If you experience any discomfort, loosening, or any other issues with your dental implants, contact your dentist immediately. Early intervention can prevent more serious problems down the line.‍

6. Protect Your Teeth: If you play contact sports, consider wearing a mouth guard to protect your implants from damage.

Remember, with good care and regular check-ups, All-on-4 dental implants can provide a long-lasting, often lifelong solution for missing teeth.

Zygomatic implants and All-on-4 are both treatment options that allow for the replacement of missing teeth with dental implants. While the All-on-4 concept generally uses four regular implants to support a full-arch prosthesis, sometimes, due to severe bone loss in the upper jaw, regular implants cannot be used.

In these situations, zygomatic implants can be integrated into the All-on-4 treatment concept, which is then often referred to as “All-on-4 Zygoma”. Here’s a basic rundown of how this combination works:‍

1. Examination: Your dentist will first carry out a comprehensive examination and use imaging techniques (like CT scans) to assess your bone structure.‍

2. Treatment Plan: If your upper jaw does not have sufficient bone for traditional implants, your dentist may recommend zygomatic implants. The treatment plan will be customized based on your specific needs.‍

3. Implant Placement: During the procedure, two longer zygomatic implants are placed into the zygoma (cheekbone), which has a very dense bone. The other two regular implants are placed in the front part of the jaw. In cases of extreme bone loss in the upper jaw it can be necessary to place four zygomatic implants (Quad Zygoma).‍

4. Prosthesis Attachment: Just like in the standard All-on-4 procedure, a provisional full-arch prosthesis can be attached on the same day, allowing you to leave the clinic with a new set of teeth.‍

5. Healing Period: Over time, the implants fuse with the bone, providing a stable base for the final prosthesis.

By combining zygomatic implants with the All-on-4 concept, patients who were previously not candidates for dental implants due to severe bone loss in the upper jaw can now benefit from this life-changing treatment. The combination allows for immediate function and avoids the need for bone grafting procedures like iliac crest (hip) transplants, which can be very invasive and require a longer healing period with a medium success rate.

The All-on-4 and All-on-6 concepts both refer to techniques of restoring a full arch of teeth with dental implants, but the main difference lies in the number of implants used and their distribution in the jawbone.

All-on-4:
The All-on-4 concept involves the use of four dental implants to support a full arch of teeth. Typically, two straight implants are placed in the front of the jaw, and two implants are tilted up to 45 degrees in the back of the jaw. This tilt allows for longer implants to be used, increasing bone-to-implant contact and reducing the need for bone grafting. The prosthetic teeth are then mounted onto these four implants.

All-on-6:
In the All-on-6 concept, six implants are used to support the full-arch prosthesis. Because more implants are used, the distribution of force when biting and chewing is spread over more points, which may improve the stability and durability of the prosthesis. All-on-6 can be a good option for patients with a moderate or bad bone density, who are not suitable for or want to avoid bone grafting procedures with longer healing times.

On the day of your surgery, we'll begin by administering local anaesthesia or sedation to ensure your comfort throughout the procedure. Most patients choose a general anaesthesia for more comfort. After the implants are carefully placed, you will stay in our dedicated patient area until we can affix a temporary set of teeth, allowing you to leave our clinic in the same evening with a new smile.

With good oral hygiene and regular dental visits, All-on-4 dental implants can last many years. For the procedures in our clinic we have a 99.5% success rate within five years. The prosthetic teeth may need replacement or adjustment over time, but the implants themselves can last a lifetime.

While the initial healing period after All-on-4 surgery is typically a few weeks, it may take approximately four months for your mouth to completely heal and for the implants to fully integrate with your bone.

If you wish to undergo the dental implant operation under anesthesia treatment (sedation), such as general anesthesia administered by our experienced anesthesiologists or the administration of laughing gas in combination with a painkiller, this will be charged separately.

Before you decide on a treatment with All-on-4 implants, we provide you with a complete and transparent cost plan that includes all associated costs. Our staff will sit down with you, explain the cost plan, and answer your questions.