Full-mouth implants

Full-arch implant treatment replaces all the teeth in one jaw with a fixed bridge carried on several implants — commonly four or six, which is where names like All-on-4 and All-on-6 come from. The number is not a brand or a quality rating; it describes how many implants support the bridge, and the right number depends on your bone, your bite and the design of the restoration. This is significant treatment. It usually involves removing any remaining teeth in that jaw, and that decision is irreversible.

• Most or all teeth in a jaw are missing
• The remaining teeth have been assessed as unrestorable
• A full denture is not staying in place or is affecting eating
• Advanced gum disease has left teeth loose across the arch
• An older implant-supported restoration is failing

• A conventional full denture
• An implant-retained overdenture, which clips onto a smaller number of implants and is still removable for cleaning
• Saving and restoring some natural teeth where that is realistic, rather than clearing the arch
• Treating one jaw now and deciding about the other later

• A 3D scan of the jaw — this cannot be planned properly from photographs
• A recent panoramic X-ray
• Photographs of your face and smile, at rest and smiling
• Your full medical history and current medication
• Details of any existing dentures and what does not work about them
• History of gum disease, and whether it is currently active

1. 1

   Assessment and 3D planning

   Examination, scanning and a discussion of whether clearing the arch is justified, and what would be lost by doing so.

   Carried out by: Partner clinic

2. 2

   Extractions and implant placement

   Any remaining teeth in the arch are removed and the implants are placed, often in the same surgical visit.

   Carried out by: Partner clinic

3. 3

   Temporary fixed bridge

   A provisional bridge is commonly fitted so you are not without teeth. It is designed for healing, not for the long term, and looks and feels different from the final one.

   Carried out by: Partner clinic

4. 4

   Healing

   Several months while the implants integrate and the gum settles into its final shape. Your bite and appearance change during this period.

   Carried out by: You

5. 5

   Final bridge

   New impressions or scans, then the definitive bridge is made and fitted. This normally requires a second trip.

   Carried out by: Partner clinic

6. 6

   Maintenance

   Regular professional cleaning and reviews. A fixed full-arch bridge needs specific cleaning technique underneath it.

   Carried out by: You

Full-arch treatment is normally two trips. The first covers extractions, implant placement and a temporary bridge; the second, after several months of healing, delivers the final bridge. Anyone offering a complete, final full-arch restoration inside a single week should be asked directly what they are fitting, and whether it is provisional or definitive.

• Bone volume and density across the whole arch
• Whether gum disease is present and stable
• General health, medication, and anything affecting healing or bone
• Smoking
• Bite forces and grinding habits
• Your ability to maintain cleaning around a fixed bridge
• Realistic expectations about how a full-arch bridge looks and feels compared with natural teeth

• How many implants support each arch
• Whether one arch or both are being treated
• The material of the final bridge — acrylic, composite, zirconia and others differ considerably
• Whether extractions or grafting are required
• The implant system used
• Laboratory costs and the amount of planning involved
• Whether the temporary bridge is included in the quoted figure

We do not publish price ranges for this treatment. Any figure we could give before a clinic has approved it would be a guess presented as guidance. Your final price comes from the partner clinic in writing, after a dentist has reviewed your case.

• It is irreversible — natural teeth removed to make way for the bridge cannot be replaced
• One or more implants may fail to integrate, which can change the plan
• Speech usually changes at first and takes time to adapt to
• Cleaning underneath a fixed bridge is a technique that has to be learned and kept up
• The bridge may need repair or replacement over the years, at a cost
• Gum shrinkage during healing can create gaps that need addressing in the final design
• The final appearance is a compromise between aesthetics, bite and hygiene access

• Why are you recommending clearing the arch rather than saving any teeth?
• How many implants, and why that number for my jaw specifically?
• What material is the final bridge, and what is the temporary one?
• Is the final bridge included in this price, or only the temporary?
• What happens if an implant fails during healing — clinically and financially?
• How do I clean this, and what happens at maintenance appointments?
• Which dentist at home could service this if something goes wrong?

These are worth asking of any clinic, including ours. A clinic that answers them clearly and in writing is telling you something useful.

This treatment would be carried out by a licensed dentist at the partner clinic you choose, working in oral surgery, implantology and prosthodontics. Dental Anchor does not provide treatment and does not employ dentists.

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