The ultimate guide to All on 4 in Tijuana

Last fact-checked: 1 February 2021

Here’s good news for the toothless: you smile confidently with the All-on-4® treatment concept in Tijuana—and save up to 70% with Dental Departures.

Provided by Nobel Biocare®, this full-arch rehabilitation method can be completed with just two trips to Mexico, and only requires one session of surgery. 

Why Tijuana?

Tijuana is the largest city in Baja and the third largest in all of Mexico - just over the US border from San Diego.

It’s a popular place to visit for Americans - especially those from populous Southern California. Every year, millions of visitors cross the border into Tijuana for leisure, business and medical care, including normally expensive mouth restorations like this. 

What Is the All-on-4® Treatment Concept?

This treatment involves four dental implants inserted into the upper or lower jaw; these act as a stable base for attaching an entire arch of false teeth (fixed bridge). Once the implants have properly integrated with the bone and the final restoration is attached, the teeth are so secure that you will be able to eat any food you like without the worry of your teeth slipping or falling out.

The procedure is the innovation of Dr Paulo Malo, a renowned implantologist from Portugal. It has been so successful that it is now carried out to his technique by dental clinics throughout the world, with a 95% satisfaction rate among the 150,000 patients who've undergone treatment. 

Am I a Suitable Candidate for the All-on-4® Treatment Concept?

If you have lost some or most of your teeth, you may be a suitable candidate for the All-on-4® treatment concept providing you are prepared to have your remaining teeth extracted. This also goes for patients with failing teeth after suffering from gum disease, tooth decay or injury. 

Even if you have some bone loss or determination, you may still be a suitable candidate without requiring a bone graft procedure. This is because the rear implants are longer than traditional ones, and inserted into the jaw at 45-degree angles rather than 90 degrees. 

What Are Some of the Advantages of this Full-Arch Restoration?

• They look natural and feel like your original teeth
• Unlike dentures, they are secure and don't need to be removed
• A bone graft is not usually required
• Teeth extractions, the implant placement and attachment of teeth (immediate loading denture) are all carried out at the same time, in just one session.
• Implants help prevent further deterioration of the jawbone.

How Much Does the All-on-4® Treatment Concept Cost in Tijuana?

The All-on-4® treatment concept in Tijuana coast at least 50% less than you’d pay at home, as shown in the table below:

[Note: these are estimated prices calculated at the time of writing. Please see our clinic listings for up-to-date prices.]

What About the Quality of Dental Care in Tijuana?

Clinics in Mexico provide a sanitized, comfortable, effective treatment. Modern technology and advanced treatments are used in delivering superb service. Aside from this, the clinics offer dental tourism services - assisting patients with their treatment and other travel-related activities.

Many dental professionals have completed their studies and pursued additional training in other countries, particularly the US. You’ll find that a good number are members of the American Dental Association and specialists in implantology members of the International Congress of Oral Implantologists. 

How Can Dental Departures Help?

When you book with Dental Departures you are assured of excellent quality as we carry out background checks on all of our listings. We verify qualifications, professional memberships and real patient reviews, as well as doing onsite visits.

You can see all this information, and more, on our website, enabling you to make an informed decision.

Take a look at some of our popular clinics in Tijuana that offer mouth restorations, like the All-on-4® treatment concept:

• Dr Dalia Dental Care
• Harmony Dental Studio
• Dental Brush

Is the All-on-4® Treatment Concept a Good Procedure for Dental Tourists?

The answer here is a firm yes, simply because of the possible savings coupled with the convenience of undergoing dental treatment in Tijuana. 

However, it should be understood that, while the teeth can be replaced in just one session of surgery, the entire treatment requires two separate trips to Mexico, with extensive diagnostic tests including CT scans to check the structures in your mouth and jaw bone. The CT scan is used both for diagnostic purposes, but also forms the template for your surgery, in that the dentist can see exactly where to place the implants for optimum stability.

Prior to surgery, you will also need to have impressions made of your mouth which are sent to a laboratory so they can make your new teeth and have them back with your dentist before your procedure day.

The procedure takes around two hours per jaw for the implants and teeth to be placed, and it is normally carried out under a local anesthetic with conscious sedation.

Afterward, you will have swelling and bruising, but most people experience very little downtime. It is a major procedure, so you should plan to take things slowly and gently.

One other thing to note is that hard food should be avoided in the months following surgery to allow the implants to properly fuse with the jawbone. After the final restoration has been screwed on, patients can once again eat practically anything they like.

Further Information

Ready to book or need further information? Speak with Dental Departures’ Customer Care Team about the All-on-4® treatment concept in Tijuana.

See below for a number of convenient ways to get in touch.

Sources:

All-on-4® treatment concept. Nobel Biocare. Website accessed: 1 February 2021. https://www.nobelbiocare.com/en-us/all-on-4-treatment-concept

Contreras, Raoul Lowery Contreras. A million people cross the border legally every day – and that's a good thing. Fox News. 8 December 2016. https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/opinion-a-million-people-cross-the-border-legally-every-day-and-thats-a-good-thing

About Prof Paulo Malo. Nobel Biocare. Website accessed: 1 February 2021. https://www.nobelbiocare.com/international/en/education/our-speakers/m-o/paulo-malo.html

Soto-Peñaloza, David & Zaragozí-Alonso, Regino & Penarrocha-Diago, MA & Penarrocha, Miguel. (2017). The all-on-four treatment concept: Systematic review. Journal of Clinical and Experimental Dentistry. 9. 10.4317/jced.53613. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/315370698_The_all-on-four_treatment_concept_Systematic_review

Krans, Brian. Bone Graft. Healthline. 6 November 2018. https://www.healthline.com/health/bone-graft

Misch, Carl E. The Hidden Consequences of Losing Teeth. Dear Doctor. 1 August 2011. https://www.deardoctor.com/articles/hidden-consequences-of-losing-teeth/

Liacko, Alexa. What you need to know before you go to Mexico for dental care. ABC News. 18 May 2017. https://www.abc15.com/news/local-news/what-you-need-to-know-before-you-go-to-mexico-for-dental-care

American Dental Association. Website accessed: 1 February 2021. https://www.ada.org/en

International Congress of Oral Implantologists. Website accessed: 1 February 2021. https://www.icoi.org/

Guidelines on Eating After All-On-4 Implants. MD Monthly. 23 April 2020. https://mdmonthly.com/guidelines-on-eating-after-all-on-4-implants/