All-on-X: A Fixed Full Arch on Four to Six Implants
All-on-X replaces a whole arch of teeth with a fixed bridge carried on four to six implants. It is fixed — you do not take it out — and it is for people who have lost most of the teeth in a jaw, or whose remaining teeth cannot be saved. At our Millenia Walk clinic it is planned from a CBCT scan and placed by Dr Austin Chan.
- Implants
- 4–6 per arch
- Surgery
- One day
- Final bridge
- 4–6 months
- Fee
- S$27,250 – 38,150
What happens
Assessment and a CBCT scan, to measure the bone available and find the nerve and the sinus. The plan depends entirely on what the bone allows.
Surgery day: any remaining unsaveable teeth are removed, the implants are placed at planned angles, and a fixed provisional bridge is fitted — usually the same day.
A healing period of four to six months while bone integrates with the implants. You eat softly during this time, and the provisional bridge stays in.
The definitive bridge is made and fitted, in zirconia or another material chosen for your bite and opposing teeth.
Maintenance: professional cleaning under the bridge two or three times a year, and an annual review of the implants and bone.
“Teeth in a day” is the phrase used for this treatment, and it needs qualifying. What is fitted on the day is a provisional bridge — functional and presentable, but not the finished article. The definitive bridge comes months later, once the implants have integrated. Anyone implying otherwise is selling you the timeline rather than the treatment.
The number in “All-on-X” is a clinical decision, not a package. Four implants can carry an arch where bone is good and the opposing bite is gentle; six is preferable where bone is thinner, the bite is heavy, or the opposing arch is also implant-supported. We will explain which applies to you and why.
The part patients underestimate is cleaning. A fixed full arch has a junction with the gum that you cannot reach with a normal toothbrush, and the commonest cause of long-term failure is not the implants but the gum and bone around them. It requires interdental brushes, a water flosser, technique, and professional cleaning several times a year. If that sounds unrealistic, an implant-retained overdenture — removable, fewer implants, less expensive, and far easier to clean — may be the better answer, and we will say so.
Who does this at Calm Dental
Fees for this treatment are on our fees page, including GST. A written quotation follows examination.
Questions
Is All-on-X really “teeth in a day”?
You leave on the day of surgery with a fixed provisional bridge, so you are never without teeth. The definitive bridge is fitted four to six months later, after the implants have integrated.
All-on-4 or All-on-6 — which do I need?
It depends on the bone available, the force of your bite, and what is in the opposing jaw. Four is sufficient in many cases; six distributes load better where bone is thinner or the bite is heavy. It is decided from the CBCT scan, not from a price list.
Can I use Medisave?
Yes, for the surgical portion — extractions and implant placement — subject to Ministry of Health withdrawal limits. The bridge itself is not claimable. The quotation separates the two so you can see what applies.
How do I clean under a fixed bridge?
With interdental brushes, a water flosser, and a specific technique we teach you, plus professional cleaning two to three times a year. This is the single biggest factor in how long the result lasts.
Will it feel like my own teeth?
It will feel far more like your own teeth than a removable denture: nothing covers the palate, and biting force is much closer to natural. It is not identical — there is no sensation from the teeth themselves, because there are no nerves in an implant.
What if I do not have enough bone?
Options include placing implants at angles that use the bone available, bone grafting, or zygomatic implants placed in the cheekbone, which we would refer for. The CBCT scan tells us which is realistic.