All-on-4 vs All-on-6 Procedure: The Step-by-Step Difference
Specialist Prosthodontist · Taki Dent, Antalya
The All-on-4 and All-on-6 procedures follow the same path — CT planning, any needed extractions, implant placement, and a same-day fixed temporary bridge — with one core difference: All-on-6 places two extra implants, usually more upright at the back, which can mean slightly longer surgery and occasionally minor grafting in the upper jaw. All-on-4 angles its two rear implants forward to avoid the sinus and use existing bone, which is why it often needs no graft. Both finish with a permanent bridge a few months later. The choice of four or six is made on your CT scan, not during surgery. Taki Dent performs both under sedation.
How does the planning stage work?
Both procedures begin identically with a CT scan, which maps your bone in three dimensions. From it the surgeon plans exactly where each implant will go, at what angle and depth, and whether any grafting is needed — this is where the decision between four and six implants is really made. Digital planning means the surgery is mapped before you ever sit in the chair, which is what makes same-day teeth predictable.
Any unsalvageable teeth are extracted, usually on the same day as implant placement to spare you a separate procedure.
| Step | All-on-4 | All-on-6 |
|---|---|---|
| CT planning | Yes | Yes |
| Implants placed | 4 (2 angled) | 6 (more upright) |
| Grafting | Usually avoided | Sometimes upper jaw |
| Surgery time | Shorter | Longer |
| Same-day teeth | Yes | Yes |
What happens during surgery for each?
Under local anaesthetic with sedation, the implants are placed. In All-on-4, two implants go upright at the front and two are tilted forward at the back — that angle engages denser bone and routes around the sinus, which is the design's signature move and why grafting is usually avoided. In All-on-6, six implants are placed, typically with the rear ones more upright, distributing load across more points; in a resorbed upper jaw this occasionally calls for a small graft or sinus lift.
The surgery itself is longer for six implants, but both are comfortable, single-session procedures.
How do the procedures finish?
Both end the same way. Once the implants are placed and their stability confirmed, a fixed temporary bridge is screwed on the same day, so you leave with teeth. You then heal for three to six months while the implants integrate, before returning for the permanent zirconia bridge. The step-by-step path is therefore shared; the meaningful difference is simply two extra implants and the planning that supports them. Because the choice is made from imaging in advance, you know exactly which procedure you are having before surgery day.
At Taki Dent in Antalya — rated 9.8/10 by UK patients and led by Specialist Prosthodontist Dr. Sadık Taki — both All-on-4 and All-on-6 are offered at fixed, all-inclusive prices with a written guarantee. For a free, CT-based recommendation and a fixed quote, get in touch and we will tell you honestly which option suits your case.
Frequently asked questions
Is the All-on-6 surgery much harder than All-on-4?
It places two more implants and takes a little longer, but both are comfortable single-session procedures under local anaesthetic with sedation. The path is the same.
Why does All-on-4 avoid grafting but All-on-6 sometimes needs it?
All-on-4 angles its rear implants to use existing bone and skip the sinus. All-on-6's more upright posterior implants occasionally need a minor graft or sinus lift in the upper jaw.
When is it decided whether I get four or six implants?
Before surgery, from your CT scan — not on the day. You know exactly which procedure you are having in advance.