A complete arch of permanent teeth placed by a Yale-trained periodontist -- just minutes from Tustin at The Loft Dental Studio in Costa Mesa
Tustin occupies a central position in Orange County, bordered by Irvine to the south, Santa Ana to the north, and Costa Mesa to the west. This location puts Tustin residents within easy reach of The Loft Dental Studio at 3151 Airway Ave Suite F-103 in Costa Mesa -- typically just 8 to 15 minutes via the 55 Freeway or Jamboree Road. For patients from Old Town Tustin, Tustin Ranch, the neighborhoods surrounding the former Marine Corps Air Station (now Tustin Legacy), or the areas near The District at Tustin Legacy, specialist-level All-on-4 implant treatment is closer than many realize.
All-on-4 dental implants offer Tustin residents a permanent solution for missing or failing teeth that goes far beyond what removable dentures can achieve. The procedure replaces an entire arch of teeth with a fixed, non-removable bridge supported by four strategically placed titanium implants. At The Loft Dental Studio, this procedure is performed by Dr. Chanook David Ahn, a board-certified periodontist whose Yale School of Medicine residency training and Chief Resident distinction set him apart from the vast majority of practitioners offering this treatment in Orange County.
Dr. Ahn works in collaboration with Dr. Elaine Lu, a board-certified prosthodontist who designs and fabricates the prosthetic bridge component of the treatment. This dual-specialist approach ensures that both the surgical foundation and the restorative superstructure are managed by specialists with focused training -- a model that produces more predictable outcomes than single-provider approaches. The practice's 5.0-star Google rating across more than 107 reviews reflects the consistency of this approach.
The All-on-4 protocol addresses a problem that has challenged implant dentistry for decades: how to provide patients with fixed, permanent teeth when they have experienced significant bone loss in the jaw. After teeth are extracted or lost to periodontal disease, the jawbone begins to resorb -- losing height and width progressively over time. This bone loss is most severe in the posterior (back) regions of the jaw, which is precisely where traditional implant placement requires the most bone.
The breakthrough of the All-on-4 approach, pioneered by Dr. Paulo Malo, was to use the bone that remains rather than trying to rebuild what has been lost. Two implants are placed vertically in the anterior (front) region of the jaw, where bone density is naturally maintained. Two additional implants are placed at angles of 30 to 45 degrees in the posterior region, which allows them to engage a longer surface of bone along a diagonal path, avoid the maxillary sinuses (upper jaw) and inferior alveolar nerve (lower jaw), and emerge at a more posterior position in the arch to support a wider bridge.
Before the tilted implant concept was introduced and validated through clinical research, patients with posterior bone loss had limited options. They could undergo sinus lift surgery (for the upper jaw) or nerve repositioning (for the lower jaw), followed by bone grafting, followed by months of healing, followed by implant placement, followed by more months of healing before teeth could be attached. The total treatment timeline often exceeded 12 to 18 months, and many patients simply could not endure the physical, financial, or emotional burden of such an extended process.
The tilted implant approach collapsed this timeline dramatically. By engaging the existing anterior bone with vertical implants and the available posterior bone with angled implants, the entire foundation for a full arch of teeth can be established in a single surgical appointment. When combined with the immediate loading protocol, this means Tustin patients can arrive at The Loft Dental Studio with failing teeth and leave the same day with a complete arch of fixed provisional teeth.
The clinical evidence supporting this approach is extensive. Published longitudinal studies consistently report implant survival rates above 95 percent at 10-year follow-up, confirming that tilted implants perform as well as vertically placed implants over the long term -- a finding that has been replicated across multiple research centers worldwide.
For Tustin patients living with loose dentures, painful failing teeth, or the social limitations of a compromised smile, the immediate loading capability of All-on-4 is often the most compelling aspect of the treatment. The ability to walk into a dental office with a serious dental problem and walk out the same day with a complete set of fixed teeth fundamentally changes the patient experience.
The same-day teeth protocol requires precise coordination between surgery and prosthetics. At The Loft Dental Studio, this coordination begins at the first consultation. Dr. Ahn captures a 3D CBCT scan that maps the bone anatomy in three dimensions, identifying the optimal implant positions. Dr. Lu uses this information, combined with digital impressions and facial analysis, to design the temporary prosthesis that will be attached on surgery day.
On the day of the procedure, any remaining teeth are extracted, the surgical sites are prepared, and the four implants are placed at their pre-planned positions and angles. Dr. Ahn measures the insertion torque of each implant to confirm adequate primary stability for immediate loading. The temporary bridge -- pre-fabricated based on the digital plan -- is then secured to the implants using precision abutments. The entire procedure, from anesthesia to the attachment of the temporary teeth, typically takes several hours.
Patients leave with a fixed, non-removable prosthesis that looks and functions like natural teeth. The temporary bridge is designed for the healing period and allows patients to eat soft foods immediately, with a gradual return to a fuller diet over the following weeks.
After four to six months of osseointegration -- the biological bonding of the titanium implants to the surrounding jawbone -- the temporary prosthesis is replaced with the final bridge. Dr. Lu crafts the final restoration from monolithic zirconia, a material that combines ceramic strength with natural translucency. The final bridge is custom-contoured to each patient's gum line, facial proportions, and bite alignment, producing a result that closely mimics natural teeth in both appearance and function.
Visit The Loft Dental Studio for a comprehensive consultation with Dr. Ahn and Dr. Lu
Book Your ConsultationTustin patients exploring full-arch tooth replacement have several implant-based options, and understanding the differences is essential for making an informed decision.
All-on-4 uses four implants per arch to support a fixed, non-removable bridge. It is the most studied protocol for immediate full-arch loading, with the strongest published evidence base. The four-implant design is particularly advantageous for patients with posterior bone loss because the tilted implants bypass the areas of greatest resorption.
All-on-6 uses six implants per arch, adding two additional posterior support points. This configuration distributes forces across more implants, which can be beneficial for patients with larger jaw arches, bruxism, or when posterior bone volume supports additional implant placement. The extra implants provide redundancy and reduce the load on each individual fixture.
Implant-supported dentures (overdentures) use two to four implants to support a removable prosthesis that snaps onto the implants. The patient can remove the denture for cleaning. This option is less expensive than All-on-4 but provides lower biting force, less stability, and requires ongoing maintenance of the attachment mechanisms.
Dr. Ahn and Dr. Lu evaluate each Tustin patient's bone anatomy, functional needs, and personal preferences to recommend the approach that will deliver the best long-term outcome. For patients who prioritize stability, function, and the closest approximation to natural teeth, All-on-4 or All-on-6 with a fixed bridge is typically the superior choice.
The All-on-4 procedure involves placing four implants at precise positions and angles within the jawbone, often simultaneously extracting failing teeth, and attaching a temporary prosthesis -- all in a single surgical session. This is among the most complex procedures in implant dentistry, requiring mastery of surgical technique, bone biology, implant biomechanics, and prosthetic design principles.
Tustin patients should understand the training differences between providers offering this treatment. A general dentist may have completed a weekend continuing education course on All-on-4 placement. A board-certified periodontist, by contrast, has completed three years of full-time surgical residency training with hundreds of supervised implant cases, advanced bone and soft tissue management, and the treatment of medically complex patients.
Dr. Chanook David Ahn's training at Yale School of Medicine placed him in one of the nation's most demanding residency environments. His selection as Chief Resident recognized his exceptional clinical ability and judgment. Board certification through the American Board of Periodontology added a verified layer of competency assessment. His faculty role at UCLA School of Dentistry keeps him engaged with the latest research, teaching protocols, and clinical innovations.
For Tustin patients, these credentials translate directly into surgical precision. Dr. Ahn's experience with complex surgical cases, severely resorbed jaws, and patients with medical comorbidities means he has encountered and managed the full spectrum of clinical challenges that All-on-4 surgery can present. This depth of experience provides a margin of safety and predictability that is difficult to replicate with less extensive training.
Every All-on-4 case at The Loft Dental Studio is planned using cone beam computed tomography (CBCT), a three-dimensional imaging modality that provides a complete volumetric map of the jaw. This scan captures bone height and width at every potential implant site, bone density values, the precise locations of the maxillary sinuses and mandibular nerve canals, and the positions of any remaining teeth and their root structures.
Dr. Ahn uses the CBCT data to create a detailed surgical plan that specifies the position, angle, depth, and diameter of each implant. This plan is developed in coordination with Dr. Lu's prosthetic design, ensuring that the implants are placed where they will provide the best combination of bone anchorage and prosthetic support. For Tustin patients, this planning process eliminates guesswork and ensures that the surgical team has anticipated every anatomical challenge before the procedure begins.
The 3D planning approach is particularly valuable for patients with complex anatomical features -- low maxillary sinuses, prominent nerve canals, knife-edge ridges, or asymmetric bone loss patterns. These variations are common among patients who have worn dentures for years or who have lost bone due to chronic periodontal disease. The CBCT data allows Dr. Ahn to navigate these challenges safely and precisely.
The All-on-4 protocol was designed with bone-deficient patients in mind. The tilted posterior implants engage available anterior bone and bypass the posterior regions where resorption is most severe. For many Tustin patients, this means that a separate bone grafting procedure is unnecessary, and treatment can proceed directly to implant placement.
When bone loss exceeds the adaptive range of the tilted implant approach, Dr. Ahn has additional tools available. Guided bone regeneration uses barrier membranes and graft materials to stimulate new bone formation at deficient sites. Block grafting transplants a section of bone from one area to another to rebuild lost volume. These techniques may be performed simultaneously with implant placement or as a preliminary procedure, depending on the severity of the deficiency.
For Tustin patients with extreme upper jaw bone loss -- cases where the maxillary ridge has resorbed to the point that standard or tilted implants cannot achieve anchorage -- zygomatic implants offer a remarkable solution. These extra-long implants (30 to 52.5 mm) bypass the deficient maxillary bone entirely and anchor into the dense zygomatic bone (cheekbone), which is unaffected by the resorption patterns that occur after tooth loss in the upper jaw.
Zygomatic implant placement requires specialized training and is performed by a limited number of practitioners. When combined with conventional anterior implants, zygomatic implants can support a full-arch prosthesis in patients who would otherwise require months of bone grafting before implant treatment could even begin. Dr. Ahn evaluates whether zygomatic implants may be appropriate for each patient during the CBCT planning phase.
Tustin patients considering All-on-4 understandably want to know what the recovery process involves. Dr. Ahn provides a comprehensive recovery guide before every procedure, setting clear expectations for each phase of healing.
Immediately after surgery, patients leave with their temporary teeth in place. Prescriptions are provided for pain management (typically a combination of anti-inflammatory and analgesic medications) and antibiotic prophylaxis. The first 48 to 72 hours involve the most swelling and discomfort, which is managed with medication, ice packs, and rest. Most patients transition to over-the-counter pain relievers by day three to five.
During the first four to six weeks, a soft diet is recommended to protect the healing implants. This includes foods like mashed potatoes, scrambled eggs, cooked fish, yogurt, soups, and smoothies. Patients can gradually reintroduce more textured foods as healing progresses, guided by Dr. Ahn at follow-up appointments.
Osseointegration -- the biological fusion of titanium implants with living bone -- occurs over approximately four to six months. During this period, the temporary prosthesis functions well for daily activities. Patients return for periodic check-ups to monitor healing and ensure the implants are integrating successfully.
The All-on-4 restoration is designed for decades of service. Published studies report implant survival rates above 95 percent at 10 years. The titanium implants can last a lifetime, while the zirconia bridge typically functions well for 15 to 20 years. Regular professional maintenance every three to four months -- including cleaning around the implants, checking prosthesis fit, and monitoring bone levels -- is the foundation of long-term success.
All-on-4 dental implants at The Loft Dental Studio range from $20,000 to $35,000 per arch for the complete treatment. This comprehensive fee covers the initial 3D CBCT evaluation, surgical placement of four implants, the same-day temporary prosthesis, all follow-up visits during the healing phase, and the final zirconia bridge. All-on-6 treatment, with two additional implants, may cost slightly more.
Cost variables include the number of teeth requiring extraction, whether localized bone augmentation is needed, the material selected for the final prosthesis, and sedation preferences. Dr. Ahn provides a detailed, itemized treatment estimate after the initial consultation, ensuring that Tustin patients have full transparency before beginning treatment.
The Loft Dental Studio offers financing through CareCredit and Lending Club, with monthly payment plans that make treatment financially manageable. When Tustin patients compare the All-on-4 investment to the cumulative cost of denture maintenance over a lifetime -- relines every two to three years, adhesives, repairs, and periodic replacement of the denture base -- many find that the economics of a permanent solution are surprisingly comparable, with dramatically better function and quality of life.
The All-on-4 protocol was designed to expand eligibility for full-arch implant treatment. Candidates include patients who are edentulous (toothless) in one or both arches, patients with extensively damaged or failing teeth requiring full-arch extraction, patients who are frustrated with removable dentures, and patients with moderate to significant bone loss who wish to minimize or avoid bone grafting.
General health factors that require evaluation include diabetes management (well-controlled diabetes is not a contraindication), smoking status (smoking significantly increases complication risk and patients are encouraged to quit), cardiovascular conditions, and use of bisphosphonate medications. Dr. Ahn reviews each patient's medical history carefully and coordinates with their physician when needed.
The most reliable way to determine candidacy is a comprehensive evaluation including 3D CBCT imaging. This provides Dr. Ahn with the precise anatomical information needed to assess bone volume, plan implant positions, and recommend the most appropriate treatment approach. Tustin patients who have been told they cannot receive implants due to bone loss should not consider that a final answer -- the All-on-4 technique and zygomatic implant options may provide pathways to full-mouth rehabilitation that were not previously available.
The Loft Dental Studio at 3151 Airway Ave Suite F-103, Costa Mesa, is one of the closest specialist implant practices to Tustin. Patients from Old Town Tustin and the areas along First Street and El Camino Real typically reach the office in approximately 8 to 10 minutes via the 55 Freeway south to the Baker Street exit. Tustin Ranch residents, including those near Pioneer Road and Tustin Ranch Road, arrive in about 10 to 12 minutes via Jamboree Road south or the 261 Toll Road to the 55.
Patients from the Tustin Legacy neighborhoods -- including the communities near the former Marine Corps helicopter hangars and the Tustin Legacy park -- can reach the office in approximately 10 to 15 minutes via Edinger Avenue to the 55 or via Red Hill Avenue to the 405. The District at Tustin Legacy is about 10 minutes from our office.
Tustin residents who work in the Irvine Business Complex or South Coast Metro area may find it convenient to schedule appointments near their workplace, as our office is within the South Coast Metro district. Patients also travel to The Loft Dental Studio from nearby Costa Mesa, Irvine, Anaheim, Newport Beach, Orange, Santa Ana, and communities throughout central Orange County.
Contact The Loft Dental Studio for your comprehensive implant evaluation with Dr. Ahn
Call (714) 549-7030The drive from Tustin to The Loft Dental Studio at 3151 Airway Ave Suite F-103, Costa Mesa, takes approximately 8 to 15 minutes depending on your starting neighborhood. Old Town Tustin and The District are about 8 to 10 minutes via the 55 Freeway. Tustin Ranch is approximately 10 to 12 minutes via Jamboree Road. The Tustin Legacy neighborhoods are about 10 to 15 minutes via Edinger Avenue or Red Hill Avenue.
All-on-4 is a full-arch tooth replacement procedure that uses four titanium implants placed at strategic angles to support a complete bridge of fixed prosthetic teeth. Two implants are placed vertically in the front jaw and two are tilted at up to 45 degrees in the back. This angulation maximizes bone contact, avoids the sinuses and nerves, and typically eliminates the need for bone grafting. Most patients receive temporary fixed teeth on the same day as surgery. Read the comprehensive All-on-4 guide for more details.
The titanium implants can last a lifetime with proper care and consistent maintenance. The prosthetic zirconia bridge typically functions well for 15 to 20 years before it may need replacement or refurbishment. Published research reports implant survival rates exceeding 95 percent at 10 years when the procedure is performed by experienced specialists. Success depends on regular maintenance visits (every three to four months), good home care, and avoidance of risk factors such as smoking.
Yes. All-on-4 surgery at The Loft Dental Studio is performed under local anesthesia, and IV sedation or oral sedation is available for patients who want additional comfort. Most patients opt for sedation, which allows them to remain relaxed and comfortable throughout the procedure. The sedation options are discussed during the consultation so that Tustin patients can choose the approach that best suits their comfort level.
Yes. Many All-on-4 patients have remaining teeth that are failing due to periodontal disease, extensive decay, or fracture. Dr. Ahn extracts the compromised teeth and places the four implants in the same surgical appointment. The temporary bridge is then attached, so patients leave with a complete set of fixed teeth without an intermediate period of wearing removable dentures. This approach streamlines treatment into a single surgical session.
All-on-4 provides a fixed, non-removable bridge that is permanently attached to the implants. Implant-supported dentures (overdentures) snap onto implants but can be removed by the patient for cleaning. All-on-4 offers greater stability, higher biting force (approximately 90 percent of natural teeth versus 50 to 60 percent with overdentures), and a more natural feel. Implant-supported dentures are typically less expensive and may suit patients who prefer a removable option. Dr. Ahn and Dr. Lu help Tustin patients choose the approach that best fits their functional needs and preferences.