All-on-4 vs. All-on-6 Dental Implants: Which Full-Arch Option Is Right for You?

Dental implants can replace a single tooth, multiple teeth, or even an entire arch by using 4 to 6 implants to support a complete arch of dentures. Whether to opt for All-on-4 or All-on-6 implants will depend on several key factors.

At Bayside Dental Arts in Queens, New York, Dr. Andrey Ilyabayev and our team offer both All-on-4 and All-on-6 implant-supported dentures for our patients. Here’s why.

What happens when you lose a tooth

When you lose a tooth, the root that extends down into the jawbone isn’t there to stimulate the bone anymore. Your body then slowly starts to absorb the bone. This bone resorption causes weakness around the roots of adjacent teeth, which can also become loose and fall out. 

The cascade of tooth loss can continue until you are entirely edentulous (toothless) in the full arch of teeth (upper or lower jaw). 

Dentures are the standard treatment for edentulousness, but as bone continues to reabsorb, traditional dentures will fit badly, slip and slide, rub sore spots inside your mouth, and need continual revision.

Implant-supported dentures can fix these issues.

How dental implants work

Dental implants start with a titanium threaded post — like a small screw — which we place in your jawbone at the site of the missing tooth. The bone osseointegrates with the post, filling the threads, and is as stable as a normal tooth root, stimulating the bone and keeping it healthy. 

A collar goes on top of the post, which we cap with a tooth restoration.

For implant-supported dentures, we can create a complete arch of teeth in a single restoration, then anchor it to four or six implants in your jawbone. This removes the requirement for an implant for each tooth and makes restoring a full arch of teeth faster and easier.

When to choose All-on-4 vs. All-on-6

We can place implant-supported dentures on either four or six implants spaced along the curve of your jawbone. For people who have only recently lost their teeth — for example, from trauma — and who have good solid bone across the span of the arch, we may recommend six implants to permanently anchor the denture restoration in place.

For older patients who have been toothless for a longer span of time and who have suffered bone resorption, four implants may be the better choice. We can position these in the areas of your jaw with the strongest bone.

We might recommend bone grafts before implant placement to strengthen the anchoring process.

Dr. Ilyabayev will complete a consultation with you before your implant surgery. He’ll take images of your jawbone and determine which option is best for you — All-on-4 or All-on-6. When he’s finished, your smile will look natural and function normally for chewing, smiling, and talking, all without denture creams.

For more information about implant-supported dentures, call us at 315-908-0804 or book an appointment online. We’re located in the Bayside neighborhood of Queens, New York City.