All-on-4 and All-on-6 Dental Implants

The idea behind All-on-4 and All-on-6

Bone is not evenly available across the jaw. At the back of the upper jaw the sinus intrudes; at the back of the lower jaw the nerve canal runs close to the surface. The front of both jaws, by contrast, usually keeps solid bone even after years of tooth loss. All-on-4 exploits that fact: the two front implants are placed vertically, and the two rear implants are tilted up to 45 degrees so they engage dense bone and reach far enough back to support molars — without grafting.

All-on-6 applies the same principle with two additional fixtures. More implants spread the bite load over a wider footprint, which is preferable when bone quality allows it, when the opposing jaw also has implants, or when a patient grinds their teeth. Which of the two suits you is a clinical decision made on your CT scan, not a package chosen from a price list.

Fixed teeth, not a denture

The distinction matters. A conventional full denture rests on the gum, moves when you chew, covers the palate and needs adhesive. An All-on-4 or All-on-6 bridge screws onto the implants. It does not come out, it does not cover the palate — so taste and temperature stay normal — and it transmits the bite force into the bone, which slows the facial collapse that long-term denture wearers experience.

Immediate loading: teeth in a day

If the implants achieve sufficient primary stability during surgery — measured objectively with a torque wrench — we can attach a fixed temporary bridge within 24 to 72 hours. You never leave the clinic without teeth. That temporary is deliberately built in a lighter acrylic so it flexes slightly and protects the healing implants, and you follow a soft diet during integration.

After three to six months, once the bone has fully integrated the fixtures, the temporary is exchanged for the definitive bridge. This is where material choice matters, and where cheap full-arch offers quietly cut corners.

Choosing the final bridge material

Monolithic zirconia is the premium option: milled from a single block, exceptionally strong, resistant to staining and chipping, and the closest match to natural enamel translucency. Titanium-reinforced acrylic-composite hybrids cost less and are easier to repair, but they wear faster and discolour over years. We explain the trade-off honestly, show you both, and price both — because a bridge you will wear every day for fifteen years deserves a considered decision rather than an upsell.

What full-arch treatment involves

Where teeth remain, they are usually extracted in the same session as implant placement. That sounds daunting and is in practice more comfortable than a series of separate procedures: one anaesthetic, one healing period, one recovery. Surgery takes two to four hours per arch. Swelling and bruising peak on day two or three and are noticeably more pronounced than with single implants; most patients want a week before travelling on to sightseeing or business.

Living with a full-arch bridge

Cleaning is different from cleaning natural teeth. Because the bridge is a single continuous unit, the critical zone is the junction between bridge and gum, cleaned daily with a water flosser and special interdental brushes — a technique we teach you before you fly home. A professional review and cleaning every six months, and the removal of the bridge for deep cleaning roughly every two years, are what carry the result past the fifteen-year mark.