Full arch implants · London
Full arch implants replace all the teeth in one jaw with a fixed bridge on 4 or 6 implants (All-on-4, All-on-6), unlike a removable denture. At Smalț one arch costs £18,500 on 4 implants or £23,500 on 6. The surgery and the temporary bridge come first, and the final bridge is fitted 4 to 6 months later.
Where we work
The root sits in the bone. When a tooth is missing, the implant is planned on a CT scan of the bone.
Step by step
Full arch implants (All-on-4 and All-on-6)
01
All-on-4 or All-on-6 treatment starts with a 3D CT scan and a scan of both jaws. The oral surgeon plans each implant position on them, and the written plan shows the shape of your future teeth. On the day of surgery the remaining teeth are removed and the implants are placed, under local anaesthetic and, if you wish, sedation. The fixed temporary bridge is fitted within the first 3 days, if the implants are stable enough.
02
Full arch treatment has two stages. The first takes about a week of visits: diagnosis, surgery, the temporary bridge fitted within days and a check-up. The second, 4 to 6 months later, takes 2 or 3 visits: scans, a try-in and fitting of the final bridge. Surgery on one arch takes 2 to 4 hours, and soft food is needed for the first weeks.
03
A fixed bridge on 4 or 6 implants suits adults who have lost all the teeth in one jaw, or whose remaining teeth can no longer be saved, including long-term denture wearers. Immediate loading, meaning the fixed temporary bridge fitted after surgery, applies only to cases that meet the medical criteria. When the implants are not stable enough, you wear a removable temporary denture until they integrate.
04
A fixed bridge on implants is cleaned every day with a toothbrush, interdental brushes and a water flosser under the bridge. A professional cleaning is due every 6 months, and once a year the bridge is unscrewed and the implants are cleaned. You leave with a written file listing the implant system, sizes and batch numbers, so any dentist can do the yearly maintenance if you move away.
05
The £5,000 difference between All-on-4 (£18,500) and All-on-6 (£23,500) comes from the two extra implants. On 6 implants the biting load is spread over more points. On 4 implants the back ones are tilted to avoid the sinus and the nerve, often without a bone graft. The surgeon chooses on the CT scan, and the written plan gives the price for the option that suits your case.
One arch on 4 implants (All-on-4) costs £18,500, and on 6 implants (All-on-6) £23,500. The price includes the implants, extractions on the day of surgery, the fixed temporary bridge, the final bridge and first-year check-ups. The CT diagnosis is £395.
Plan for two stages: about a week of visits for the diagnosis, surgery and temporary bridge, then 2 or 3 visits for the final bridge, 4 to 6 months later. If both arches are treated in the same surgery, the length of each stage stays roughly the same.
The fixed temporary bridge is fitted within the first 3 days after surgery, if the implants are stable enough. Immediate loading applies only to cases that meet the medical criteria. Otherwise you wear a removable temporary denture until the implants integrate.
Both arches cost £37,000 on 4 implants each, or £47,000 on 6 implants each, which is the price of one arch times two. The arches can be treated in the same surgery or separately.
Yes, in most cases, although the bone shrinks after years without teeth. The CT scan shows how much bone is left. If it is not enough, a bone graft or tilted implants are used, and the written plan lists the price of each option.