Has anyone got All on 4 implants?

LandM1

I’ve got a top All-on 4 bridge and I’m having numerous niggly problems with it. I’ve had it about 5 years and for the last 18 months it’s been one problem after another. First one tooth fell out and the dentist fixed it three times before he got the technician to do it properly, then I had a similar problem with another tooth, again several repairs before it was right, then the acrilic at the front cracked and it had to be sent away for refurbishment. Also the fillings keep falling out of the holes where the implants are. Now a screw or something that alters the angle of the implant (I think) has broken and I’ve got to go again to get that replaced tomorrow. Is this unusual or have other people had similar problems? I don’t know if I’m expecting too much but I certainly wasn’t expecting this amount of problems!

Toothsmith

Reading this makes me think of about 3 patients I have.
They are like the 'Destroyers of Dentistry'! Patients with really strong bites, maybe people who grind their teeth at night (Bruxists) and those that really like chomping into everything!
Sorry if that sounds like I'm taking it too lightly - I'm not. It can be a big problem with some people. First of all, why did all your top teeth need to be removed? Was this with things always/often breaking and the teeth just gradually breaking/wearing away? The strongest thing you would ever have had in your mouth would have been your own teeth before any 'dentistry' was done on them. Any repairs/fixes they have needed will always be weaker than the tooth that was there before it. If you are someone who is hard on their teeth - then this will just be a perpetual problem throughout your life. 

If you or your dentist can identify and tackle the underlying problems, then the 'dentistry' might have a better chance of surviving - but as you bite & chew in the way you always have done, it won't feel particularly unusual to you - so it is very very hard to change a habit you're probably unaware that you have.

So the answer to your question is likely to be that - no - this isn't the typical experience of the vast majority of people with an All On 4 denture.

I'm only reading what you have written there, so I might be way off the mark - but that pattern of breakages, especially the implant fracturing, makes me think that the denture is being subjected to unusually high forces, rather than there is any actual weakness in it's construction. I think those forces come from either the way you use your teeth, or habits like bruxism you may have. I think that might be the line that needs investigating.