Does all on 4 hybrid requires 6 months Hygiene cleaning like regular teeth

This is a genuine question people have when they receive All on 4 hybrid prosthesis. My simple answer to this question is as long as you use it for chewing food it needs cleaning on a daily basis and professional cleaning in a dental office setting and exam every six months preferably by the same doctor who installed the teeth. An yearly check up of implants by the surgeon is also highly recommended if surgery and teeth are done by 2 different doctors.

All on 4 hybrid prosthesis can be life-like beautiful set of teeth that can mimic nature when it comes to look, but in reality it is artificial and man made set of teeth.Our bodies are designed to be highly adaptable and forgiving but at the same time, an artificial set of teeth that is constantly subjected to food and bacterial deposition which if not cleaned on a daily basis can be quite irritating to gentle gum which covers and protects the bone holding your implants. So everyday cleansing is the most important activity to protect your investment. The 6 months periodic cleaning by a hygienist will make sure that all the tartar and debris is removed from those areas you might not have been cleaning everyday. This is an important step towards increasing the longevity of the implants and to improve your  gum health. Any inflammation or redness can be easily detected during the hygiene appointment and we can notify you on a timely basis before it advances into bone loss around implants. Also hygienists may go over with you how to get to those areas you might be missing and may modify your home care to keep all areas healthy. 

A lot of patients have this question whether their hybrid needs to be taken out when the hygienist does the cleaning. It all depends how the hybrid is designed by the restorative doctor to fit your gum. In my practice I follow a self-cleansing design where the patients can clean easily at home with the help of a waterpik. But if a patient comes with a hybrid done in another office with a different design that encourages food accumulation underneath that, then prosthesis has to be taken out to effectively clean underneath. So the bottom line is cleaning should be done every 6 months without screwing it out if the fitting surface is designed correctly, and implants X- rayed and checked yearly.

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