All-on-4 is an approach to restoring a whole jaw using a fixed bridge supported by four implants, two of them commonly placed at an angle to make use of available bone. It is used where a jaw has no teeth, or where the remaining teeth cannot be saved. It is major treatment, planned from imaging and carried out in stages.
What it may help with
- A jaw where the remaining teeth are failing and are planned for removal.
- A jaw that has been without teeth for some time.
- A lower denture that will not stay in place.
- Difficulty chewing, or discomfort, with a full removable denture.
Examination and suitability
A CT scan is essential here: the plan depends on the volume and quality of bone, the position of the sinus in the upper jaw and of the nerve in the lower. Your dentist also assesses gum health, your bite, the opposing jaw, your general health and your medication.
Not every jaw suits four implants. Some need more, some need grafting first, and for some a different solution — an implant-retained overdenture, or a conventional denture — is the more appropriate answer. Smoking, uncontrolled diabetes, active gum disease and heavy grinding all affect the plan and the outlook, and are discussed before treatment rather than after.
What usually happens
Assessment and planning
Examination, CT scan, photographs and impressions. You are given the sequence, the estimated number of visits and the estimated cost in writing before starting.
Surgery day
Any remaining teeth in the arch are removed, the implants are placed, and a fixed temporary bridge is usually fitted the same day or within a short period.
Healing
Integration takes several months. During this time you eat a modified diet and attend review appointments so healing can be checked.
The final bridge
Once healing is complete, records are taken and the definitive bridge is made and fitted.
Maintenance
Regular professional cleaning and review, indefinitely. The bridge is designed to be removed by the dentist for servicing.
How many visits to expect
Typically a planning visit, a surgical visit, several reviews across a healing period of roughly four to six months, then two or more visits for the definitive bridge. This is treatment measured in months. If you are travelling, it usually means two separate trips, and we will say so plainly at the planning stage rather than let you discover it later.
Limitations, risks and alternatives
- This is surgery. Swelling, bruising, bleeding and discomfort in the days afterwards are expected, and vary between people.
- Risks include infection, failure of one or more implants to integrate, sinus involvement in the upper jaw and altered sensation in the lower. These are discussed in relation to your own scan.
- The temporary bridge requires a soft diet for a period, and can chip or loosen during healing.
- A full-arch bridge is a long-term option needing professional maintenance, not a permanent one. Components can wear and need replacing, and the bridge itself may need remaking over time.
- Speech and the feel of the bite take time to adapt to.
- Alternatives include a conventional full denture, an implant-retained overdenture, or a larger number of implants supporting separate sections. Each has different costs, different maintenance and different demands on your time.
After your treatment
Follow the dietary advice you are given during healing — it exists to protect the implants while they integrate. Clean around and under the bridge daily with the aids you are shown, and keep every review appointment. Contact the clinic if swelling worsens after the first few days, if bleeding persists, if the bridge feels loose, or if any part of it fractures.
Treatments and indicative pricing
Prices are indicative and durations are estimates. Your own quote and timing follow an examination and diagnosis at the clinic.
Crossed-out figures marked “elsewhere” are prices that other dental clinics in Thailand, in Bangkok and in Phuket, publish on their own websites for the comparable treatment, as read on 14 September 2026; they are not prices of this clinic. The crossed-out figure on teeth whitening is this clinic’s own regular price. Our figure is the one the treatment starts from; the dentist confirms your own quote after the examination.
Ready to talk it through?
Request an assessment and the dentist will explain which options suit you, how long they take and what they are estimated to cost.