The lure of getting an All on 4 surgical procedure done in another country may seem very appealing. You may be drawn to this course due to finances or vacationing at the same time as treatment. However, besides cost, there may be some risks. Choosing a location to which you have to fly to, could be more complicated than it seems. 

Although referred to as “Teeth in a day”, an All on 4 surgery is a multi-step process. For example, on the day of treatment, you will leave with your temporary denture. However, follow-up appointments are necessary to ensure proper healing and finalize your final denture. The first follow-up will be a month following treatment and the next appointment around the 3-4 month mark, following the surgical date. These follow-up appointments are important to ensure no issues or infections are occurring. After you have healed for at least 4 months, you will start the process to get your final denture. This process will be multi-step and dependent on your surgical specialist’s discretion on how many appointments. It is important to ensure your final prosthesis is not fitted too early. Fitting a final prosthesis too early can cause gaps, where food and debris get stuck. Not only is it very irritating for patients, but it can also cause implant failure if the debris is left unremoved. This space problem can be avoided by allowing a recovery period for the gums and bone to finish remodeling. The time period can be anywhere from 4-6 months. After practicing for over 10 years, I have seen a lot of complications from All on 4 protheses placed in another country. For example, the biggest issue I have seen is an unreliable implant system. In other countries, implant systems can be used that are cheaper by off-market sources. These systems can only be used by the doctor who placed them, due to their rarity of materials. If a complication would arise, it would mean the patient has to go back to that country to fix it. Choosing cheaper material as well can increase the risks for surgical complications. Making sure you’re aware of all the possible complications is important before deciding where to get your All on 4 procedure performed.