All-on-4 vs All-on-6 Cost: What Drives the Difference

When patients compare All-on-4 and All-on-6 quotes, they often assume the higher number simply means a more expensive treatment across the board. In reality the bill is built from clearly separable parts, and only a couple of them actually change between four implants and six. Understanding which parts move — and which don't — is the single best protection against being over-quoted. Here is exactly what drives the difference.

What you are actually paying for in a full-arch quote

Every honest All-on-4 or All-on-6 quote is the sum of the same building blocks. Lay them side by side and the cost story becomes obvious:

Cost component	All-on-4	All-on-6	Changes between them?
Implants (titanium fixtures)	4 per jaw	6 per jaw	Yes — main driver
Multi-unit abutments	4	6	Yes — secondary driver
Surgery / theatre time	Shorter	Slightly longer	A little
Sinus lift / grafting (upper)	Often avoided	Sometimes needed	Case-dependent
3D CT scan & planning	Same	Same	No
The bridge (prosthesis)	Same span	Same span	No (material matters more)
Sedation, hotel, transfers	Same	Same	No
Guarantee & aftercare	Same	Same	No

Read down the "changes" column and the picture is clear: the price difference is overwhelmingly the two extra implants and abutments, with a modest add for surgical time and the case-by-case possibility of a sinus lift.

Driver 1: the two extra implants and abutments

This is the heart of it. Each implant is a precision-engineered titanium fixture from a quality system — Straumann, Nobel Biocare or an equivalent premium brand — and each needs a multi-unit abutment to connect it to the bridge. Two more implants and two more abutments per arch is real, irreducible hardware cost. It is also the part you most want spent properly: cheap, unbranded fixtures are the classic false economy. When a quote is suspiciously low, the implant brand is usually where the corner was cut.

Driver 2: whether the upper jaw needs a sinus lift

The All-on-4 protocol was designed with tilted rear implants that, in many cases, can avoid the need for grafting by engaging bone anterior to the sinus. Placing six implants in a resorbed upper jaw can, in some cases, require a sinus lift to create height for the extra fixtures — and that adds cost. A peer-reviewed study comparing prostheses with and without sinus augmentation (Journal of Oral Implantology, 2021) examined exactly this trade-off: a distal-cantilever design can sometimes deliver good bone behaviour without the added surgery a graft would involve. The right answer is individual — but it is one of the reasons two upper-jaw quotes for "six implants" can legitimately differ. See bone loss for when grafting is genuinely needed.

Driver 3: the bridge material (often bigger than the implant count)

Here is the cost lever patients underestimate. Choosing a monolithic zirconia bridge over an acrylic-on-titanium one can change the price as much as adding two implants. Zirconia is stronger and more lifelike but costs more to mill and finish. Marginal fit and material choice can affect long-term tissue health — a 3-year follow-up study on finish-line designs and materials (European Annals of Dental Sciences, 2023) found meaningful differences by design and material — so this is not a place to pick purely on price. Compare All-on-4 zirconia against All-on-6 acrylic and the "cheaper" option may flip. See zirconia vs acrylic to weigh it.

Why the gap is far smaller in Turkey

In the UK, the difference between All-on-4 and All-on-6 can be steep, partly because each implant carries a high marginal price. In Turkey, the core treatment cost is lower across the board, so the two extra implants of All-on-6 add far less in absolute terms. The practical result: UK patients travelling to Antalya often find the clinical decision is no longer a financial one — they can choose six implants because their jaw wants six, not because they can suddenly afford it. Put real numbers to it in our cost comparison and the dedicated Turkey cost hub.

The hidden costs that distort comparisons

Two quotes are only comparable if they include the same things. Before you weigh price against price, check that each includes:

• Abutments — sometimes billed separately to make the headline look lower.
• Final teeth, not just the temporary bridge — confirm the permanent prosthesis is in the price.
• Any grafting or sinus lift — quoted up front, not "discovered" later.
• The guarantee and aftercare — a real written guarantee (lifetime on implants; 5–10 years on crowns/veneers), not a vague promise.
• Branded implants — name the system; "premium implants" with no brand is a red flag.

A fair quote is all-inclusive and itemised. That is how Taki Dent quotes — the implants, abutments, bridge, scans, surgery, sedation and guarantee are set out in one fixed GBP figure, so the only true variable between your All-on-4 and All-on-6 options is the two extra implants. For the full checklist of what a fair package should include, see Turkey cost.

Frequently asked questions