Key takeaways
- An All-on-4 price should cover two prostheses: the provisional bridge fitted early and the definitive bridge made months later.
- That second stage means a second trip, so travel and accommodation belong in your budget twice.
- Advertised full-arch package prices differ in scope. Only an itemised quote shows what a figure actually buys.
- The number of implants in a full arch is a clinical decision for the dentist, not a paid upgrade to choose from a menu.
- Ask in writing which prosthesis material the price includes, and who pays if the arch needs attention after you fly home.
All-on-4 carries one of the biggest headline-price gaps in dentistry, and one of the biggest gaps between the headline and the true cost. The advertised figure often covers one stage of a two-stage treatment. This page breaks down the All-on-4 cost structure, what a full-arch quote should itemise, and where the extra costs hide.
As ever: general information, not medical advice, and no figure here is a quote. Whether All-on-4 suits your jaw is a decision for the clinic's dentist. The clinical detail lives in our All-on-4 guide.
What drives the price
Two prostheses, months apart. All-on-4 is typically delivered as an immediate provisional bridge fitted around surgery, then a definitive bridge once healing is complete. In a 943-patient study of full-arch treatment, the definitive prosthesis arrived around six months after surgery. Both bridges cost money, and a price that only covers the provisional is half a price.
The second trip. Because the definitive bridge comes months later, most patients travel twice. Travel and accommodation for that return visit sit outside most clinic packages.
Definitive bridge material. Full-arch bridges come in different materials with very different lab costs. The quote should name the material for the definitive prosthesis, not just the provisional.
Implant count is clinical, not commercial. The same 943-patient study found four and six implants per arch gave statistically identical survival. So more fixtures is a biomechanical call the clinic's dentist makes for your anatomy, not an upgrade you should be upsold by default. If your dentist does propose six, our All-on-6 cost breakdown covers how that changes the quote.
Preparatory work. Extractions and any grafting are separate line items, decided after imaging.
Itemised breakdown
For All-on-4, a written, itemised quote should list:
- The surgical fee for the arch, including extractions if the plan needs them, each priced
- The implants, with the brand named
- The provisional bridge as its own line item, with material stated
- The definitive bridge as its own line item, with material stated, and which visit it belongs to
- Imaging and diagnostics, such as the planning CT scan
- Hotel and transfers where the clinic's package includes them, with the provider identified
- The review schedule across both stages, including remote check-ins between trips
- Prescribed medicines
Flights are usually not part of a clinic's package, so budget them separately for both stages of treatment.
Country comparison
Full-arch implant work is almost always private in the UK, so there is no meaningful NHS baseline: NHS England notes implants are rarely NHS-funded. The published comparison points that exist are market-level:
Indicative comparison of externally reported figures, not a former or discounted price.
No source we can verify publishes a typical All-on-4 price per country, so we will not print one. These figures are context; the clinic's written, itemised quote is the real figure for your case. For the wider picture across procedures, see the dental treatment cost hub.
What a GetClinic quote itemises
Your coordinator prepares your case, photos, x-rays and medical history included, for the clinic's dentist. If the dentist proposes All-on-4, the written, itemised quote from the clinic covers the full pathway:
- Surgery, extractions and implants priced separately, brands named
- Both prostheses listed individually, with materials and timing stated
- Hotel and transfers where the clinic's package includes them, with the provider identified
- The review schedule for both trips and the follow-up contact between them, which we coordinate with the clinic.
- Prescribed medicines
If findings at examination change the plan, say the bone will not support the planned positions without grafting, the clinic issues a revised written quote, and nothing proceeds without your express agreement. Our role in vetting is administrative verification of the clinic: licence, registration, claimed accreditations. It is not a promise about your result.
Hidden costs to ask about
Which bridge does the price buy? The single most useful question for All-on-4. Ask, in writing, whether the advertised figure includes the definitive bridge, in what material, and what the fee is if you upgrade material later.
The return visit. Confirm what the second stage costs beyond the prosthesis itself: consultation fees, lab adjustments, and your own travel and hotel.
Guarantees you can actually use. The General Dental Council's going-abroad checklist says to ask how long the work is guaranteed for, who pays the extra flights, hotel and remedial work if you are unhappy, and whether complication treatment is included in the initial price. For a full arch, the cost of returning to enforce a guarantee is significant, so get the answers in writing.
No free repairs at home. UK dentists report seeing the aftermath of dental trips regularly: in a BDA survey of 1,000 dentists, analysed in the British Dental Journal, crowns (87%) and implants (85%) topped the list of work needing follow-up, and remedial bills exceeded £5,000 for the patients of one dentist in five. The GDC has no jurisdiction over overseas dentists, and BDA Indemnity confirms that neither the NHS nor UK dentists redo failed overseas work free.
FAQ
Is All-on-4 cheaper in Turkey than in the UK?
The published evidence points to a substantial gap: the British Dental Journal reports full-set packages advertised from £3,200 against at least £12,000 for equivalent UK work. But advertised packages vary in what they include, so compare itemised quotes, not headlines.
What should a full-arch quote itemise?
Surgery, extractions, implants with brands, the provisional bridge, the definitive bridge with its material and timing, imaging, any included hotel and transfers with providers named, the review schedule and medicines. Each as its own line.
Why do I need two trips for All-on-4?
Because the definitive bridge is made after healing: around six months post-surgery in a large published series. Your dentist confirms the schedule for your case, and your budget should include both journeys.
Is All-on-6 better value than All-on-4?
Neither is an upgrade on the other. Four and six implants showed statistically identical survival in the same 943-patient study. The right number is an anatomical decision for the clinic's dentist, and the All-on-6 breakdown explains the cost difference.
Can the price change after I receive a quote?
Only if clinical findings change the plan, and only with your express agreement. Any revision arrives as an updated written quote for you to approve before work continues.
Is this medical advice?
No. This page is cost information only. Candidacy, implant count and staging are clinical judgements that belong to the clinic's dentist. Your dentist gives the clinical advice.