All-on-4 and full-arch implants
When most of the teeth in one jaw are failing or already gone, a full-arch bridge on four to six implants can replace them all. Most patients leave on surgery day with fixed temporary teeth, when the scan and the implants' grip on the day allow it.
- Visits
- 6 to 9 visits over about 6 months
- Time to final teeth
- Temporary teeth usually the same day; final teeth in 4 to 6 months
- Comfort
- IV sedation is typical; numbing with oral sedation is possible
- Example price
- $21,000 to $31,000 per arch
- 1. Two straight implants at the front
- 2. Two angled implants at the back, using the bone that's there
- 3. The fixed bridge that screws on top
- 4. Side view: the angle avoids the nerve and needs less bone
Illustration of an All-on-4 lower arch from above, with a side view of the angled back implants. Not a patient.
Who it's for
This may be worth asking about if
- Most of your upper or lower teeth are loose, broken or painful
- You've been told you need 'extensive work' on many teeth
- Your denture slips, rubs, or keeps you from foods you love
- You cover your mouth when you laugh or avoid photos
- You want teeth that stay in, not teeth you take out at night
In plain words
What All-on-4 is
A full arch of fixed teeth held by four implants, sometimes five or six. They stay in, and you clean them like natural teeth.
All-on-4 is a way of placing implants for a whole arch. Two implants go straight in at the front. Two go in at an angle at the back, which lets them use the bone that is there and often avoids grafting or a sinus lift.
A fixed bridge, a full row of teeth with pink gum built in, screws onto the implants. You don't take it out. We remove it at cleaning visits to check the implants underneath.
The name says four, but your CT scan decides the number. Some jaws need five or six implants for a safe, long-lasting result, and we will tell you why.
How it works
6 to 9 visits over about 6 months, step by step
Typical timing. Bone, healing and grafting can change it, and your plan gives your own dates.
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Phase 1 Day 1
Consult, CT scan and records
Exam, 3D CT scan, photos and a digital scan of your mouth. About 90 minutes.
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Phase 2 1 to 3 weeks later
Plan and tooth design
We design the new teeth with you: shape, shade and length, shown before surgery.
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Phase 3 Surgery day
Implants and temporary teeth
Failing teeth removed, implants placed, and in most cases fixed temporary teeth the same day. IV sedation is typical.
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Phase 4 4 to 6 months
Healing
Soft foods at first, then more. Check visits at 1 week, 1 month and 3 months.
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Phase 5 Final visits
Your final teeth
The final bridge is milled in our lab, tried in, adjusted, and fixed in place.
Is it right for you?
A CT scan and an exam decide
We can't tell from a website whether this treatment fits you, and nobody should. At your consult a specialist looks at your 3D scan, your gums and your health history, then tells you what is and isn't possible.
The consult is $95, includes the scan, and is credited to treatment if you go ahead. A 20-minute video chat first is free.
What we look at
- Enough bone for four or more implants, measured on your CT scan
- Gum infection and failing teeth are removed as part of surgery day
- Smoking makes failure more likely, especially in the first months
- Well-managed diabetes and a medicine review with your doctor
- Heavy grinding needs a night guard to protect the bridge
- Very thin lower bone may point to a different plan, and we'll explain it
Example prices
What All-on-4 typically costs
Examples in USD, not quotes. Your written price comes after the CT scan and exam.
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Full arch on 4 implants, acrylic final bridge
Titanium bar inside for strength
$21,000 to $26,000 per arch
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Full arch on 4 implants, zirconia final bridge
Harder wearing, more natural look
$25,000 to $31,000 per arch
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Both arches, zirconia
Upper and lower, often on the same surgery day
$46,000 to $60,000 both arches
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Extra implant when the scan calls for it
A fifth or sixth implant
$1,800 to $2,600 per implant
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IV sedation for surgery day
Monitored by our surgeon and nurse
$650 to $1,200 per surgery
Included in the example price
- Your consult and 3D CT scan fee, credited to treatment
- Tooth design and a try-in before surgery
- Removal of failing teeth on surgery day
- Fixed temporary teeth, then the final bridge from our lab
- A night guard if you grind, and check visits for the first year
What can change the price
- A fifth or sixth implant
- Bone grafting or a sinus lift
- Acrylic or zirconia for the final teeth
- Doing both arches at once or one at a time
Your options
Fixed full arch, snap-on denture or regular denture?
There is no single right answer. This is how they usually compare; your scan may change it.
| Feature | Fixed full archThis page | Snap-on denture | Regular denture |
|---|---|---|---|
| Comes out at home | No | Yes | Yes |
| Implants per arch | 4 to 6 | 2 to 4 | None |
| Covers the roof of the mouth | No | Sometimes | Yes |
| Feels closest to natural teeth | Yes | No | No |
| Daily care | Brush and water flosser | Take out and clean nightly | Take out and soak |
| Example price | $21,000 to $31,000 per arch | $8,500 to $16,500 per arch | $1,800 to $3,500 per arch |
Risks, said plainly
What can go wrong
None of these are common. All of them are possible, and you should hear about them before you decide, not after.
How long it lasts
Implants often last for decades with care. The bridge may need repair or remaking after 10 to 20 years. Nothing is guaranteed.
- Infection
- Treated with cleaning and antibiotics. Close checks in the first weeks help catch it early.
- An implant failing
- If one implant doesn't bond, the bridge can sometimes be adjusted to rest on the others while a new implant heals. Sometimes the bridge has to be remade.
- Bone loss around implants
- Gum infection around implants (peri-implantitis) can wear away bone. Cleanings every 3 to 6 months matter a great deal.
- Broken temporary teeth
- Temporaries are acrylic and can crack, which is why we ask for soft foods while you heal. Repairs are included.
- Speech and feel
- Your speech and bite may feel different for a few weeks while your tongue and lips adjust.
- Nerve or sinus problems
- Rare, and reduced by careful planning on the CT scan, but possible near the lower jaw nerve and the upper sinuses.
Questions people ask
All questions and the glossaryWill I really leave with teeth on the same day?
Most patients do. Fixed temporary teeth go on the same day when the implants are firm enough in the bone when they're placed. If they aren't, we use a removable temporary and attach fixed teeth a little later. We never promise same-day teeth before the surgery.
Can I eat normally?
With temporary teeth, you'll eat soft foods for the first couple of months. Once the final bridge is in, most people eat a normal diet, with care around very hard foods like ice or popcorn kernels.
What if one implant doesn't take?
It is uncommon, but it happens. We remove it, let the area heal, and place a new one. Depending on where it is, your bridge may rest on the other implants in the meantime. You'll know the plan before surgery, not after.
Often considered alongside
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Implant dentures (snap-on)
Loose or sore denture
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Bone grafting and sinus lifts
Told there isn't enough bone
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Full-mouth reconstruction
Worn, cracked or failing teeth throughout
Resources
Things you can do next
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Book a CT scan consult
75 to 90 minutes, $95, credited to treatment if you go ahead.
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See costs and financing
Insurance, paying by phase, and a tool to split a total by month.
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Meet the doctors
Who designs your teeth, who places the implants, and who runs the lab.
Not sure you're a candidate? The scan will tell us.
A CT scan consult takes 75 to 90 minutes. You'll see your own scan, hear every option with example prices, and go home with a plan. No pressure to decide that day.