Full-Arch Immediate-Load Provisionals: Why Technique and Materials Matter

In the popular and rapidly growing All-on-4® immediate-load treatment arena, it has become the focus of many clinicians and technicians to convert a conventional denture into a screw-retained immediate-load provisional in the fastest manner possible so the patient can receive it the same day.

However, speed can often result in improper or inadequate technique, causing the provisional to fail during the four-to-six-month osseointegration/healing phase and final restoration fabrication process and creating a time-consuming, frustrating repair situation for the patient, clinician and laboratory. This begs the question: Who actually benefits the most from the same-day protocol: the patient or the business model of the clinician and/or laboratory?

As the All-on-4 immediate-load treatment becomes more popular and more people get involved, perhaps there should be less emphasis on how fast the provisional is produced and more emphasis on how well. In general,...