All-on-4 or Full Arch?
Two names, one aim, and plenty of confusion between them. Here's what each term covers, how the number of implants gets decided, and what a fixed arch costs at our Hamilton town centre practice.
Is All-on-4 Different From Full-Arch Implants, and How Much Is It in Hamilton?
In Hamilton, our full-arch implants start at £12,500 per arch, and that price covers the All-on-4 design too. All-on-4 is a brand name for one method: a fixed bridge of teeth on four implants, with the back two tilted. Full arch is the umbrella term and can mean four, five or six implants; Dr Sharma sets the number from your CT scan, and the fee doesn't change with it.
Two Labels for Overlapping Ideas
All-on-4 began as a product name. An implant manufacturer coined it in the 1990s for one particular way of fixing a complete set of teeth onto four implants, and the label caught on so well that people now use it for almost any fixed set of teeth. It's a bit like calling every vacuum cleaner a Hoover.
Full-arch implants is the plain clinical description. Every tooth in one jaw is replaced by a single bridge, screwed down onto implants, that you never take out yourself. All-on-4 is one recipe for that. A bridge carried on five or six implants is another, and both count as full-arch treatment.
Why the Back Implants Lean
The clever part of All-on-4 is the angle. Two implants go in upright near the front of the jaw, where bone is usually thickest. The two at the back are tilted, often by as much as 45 degrees, so they run forward of the things that would otherwise block them: the nerve inside the lower jaw, and the air space of the sinus above the upper back teeth.
Tilting lets the top of each back implant come out further towards the molars than an upright one could. That gives the bridge a wider footprint, so it can carry chewing teeth, and in many mouths it removes the need for a bone graft. It's a sound mechanical idea, which is why most implant systems now offer a version under their own names.
Find Out How Many Implants You Need
A free consultation, with a CT scan taken here in Hamilton, shows what your bone can carry.
Four, Five or Six Implants
Dr Sharma decides the number from your CT scan, taken on the scanner here in the practice. It shows the height, width and density of your bone in three dimensions, which neither a flat X-ray nor a look in the mouth can do. As a rough pattern:
| What the scan shows | What we'd usually plan |
|---|---|
| Firm, dense lower jaw | Four implants, often all that's needed |
| Softer upper jaw, or heavy bone loss | Five or six, to share the load more widely |
| A powerful bite or a grinding habit | Leaning towards six, plus a night guard |
| Borderline for four | Five, as a sensible middle ground |
More implants isn't automatically better. Each one is another site to heal and keep clean. The aim is enough support with a margin to spare, and our fee stays the same whichever number your scan points to. A figure given before anyone has scanned you is a guess.
What a Full Arch Costs in Hamilton
Our fee is per arch. It depends on what the final bridge is made from, not on how many implants go in. 1
| Final bridge | Fee per arch |
|---|---|
| Acrylic teeth on a reinforced frame | £12,500 |
| Solid zirconia | £15,000 |
| Zirconia on a milled titanium bar | £18,500 |
That figure takes in the CT scan and planning, removal of any remaining teeth, every implant, the 3D-printed surgical guide, fixed temporary teeth on surgery day where the bone allows, 2 the final bridge and your reviews through the first year. IV sedation is extra at £500 per session. A bone graft, which few All-on-4 cases need, would be priced in your written plan before you agree to anything.
Both jaws with acrylic bridges comes to £25,000. Our guide to All-on-4 cost in Scotland breaks the fee down line by line, and the implant cost guide covers single teeth.
The Bridge Is the Bigger Decision
Patients tend to fixate on four versus six, but the implants sit out of sight under the gum. What you live with every day is the bridge: how it looks when you smile, how it copes with a crusty roll, and how much looking after it needs.
- Acrylic is light, gentle on the opposite jaw and simple to mend. The teeth wear and can stain, so plan on a refresh at some point.
- Zirconia is a hard ceramic milled in one piece. It holds its colour and shape far longer, for a higher fee.
- Titanium bar with zirconia puts a precision-milled metal spine under the ceramic. It suits long spans and heavy biters.
We weigh the three up properly in our bridge materials guide, and there are samples to hold at your consultation.
How Treatment Runs
- Consultation. Around an hour with Dr Sharma, CT scan included. It's free, with a £40 deposit that comes back within 7 days of attending.
- Planning. Implant positions are set on the scan and a surgical guide is 3D printed, so the drilling follows the plan closely. Your temporary teeth are made ahead of the day.
- Surgery. Any remaining teeth come out, the MegaGen AnyRidge implants go in through the guide using MegaGen's R2 system, and the temporary bridge is screwed on if the implants are firm enough. 2
- Healing. Roughly three months of softer food while bone grows onto the implants.
- Final bridge. Made from a digital scan once everything is solid, then fitted and checked.
- Upkeep. Hygiene visits every three months from then on.
The first day is covered in more depth in our teeth in a day guide.
A Clip-in Alternative
Not everyone needs, or wants, a fixed bridge. An implant-retained denture snaps onto two implants in the lower jaw or four in the upper. It ends the rocking and the adhesive, but it lifts out for cleaning. It uses fewer implants and costs less, from £8,500 per jaw.
It often suits people whose main complaint is a loose lower denture, or whose health makes a longer operation unwise. Our dentures comparison puts all three options side by side.
Questions Worth Asking Any Clinic
Full-arch treatment is a big commitment, so compare quotes on more than the headline. These are the answers we'd want in writing:
- Will I have a CT scan before you tell me how many implants I need?
- Which implant brand do you use, and will parts still be available in years to come?
- Is the surgery guided, and who places the implants?
- Does the price include extractions, temporary teeth and the final bridge?
- What is the final bridge made of?
- What does the guarantee cover, and what do I have to do to keep it?
Your written plan from us answers each of these before you commit. Ours comes with a 5-year guarantee for non-smokers who attend hygiene visits every 3 months.
Questions
This guide is general information, not a diagnosis. A dentist needs to examine you to say what is right for your teeth.