All-on-6 Implants in Turkey

The principle is identical to All-on-4: a rigid bridge splinted across multiple implants shares load, which is why a fixed temporary can be attached on the day of surgery. The difference is purely how many anchor points carry that load, and how far back the bridge is supported.

Six implants distribute chewing force over a wider span, which reduces stress on each individual implant and on the bridge itself. It also means the bridge is supported further back, so there is less unsupported overhang at the rear — the cantilever, which is where full-arch bridges tend to fracture.

All-on-6 against All-on-4

If you are weighing the two, read our All-on-4 page alongside this one. The honest position is that neither is universally better — it depends on your bone, your bite and your budget.

What the package includes

• Full examination, panoramic X-ray and 3D CBCT scan
• Any extractions needed on the day
• Six implants and multi-unit abutments
• A fixed temporary bridge the same day
• The permanent bridge at the second trip
• Five nights in a four-star hotel on each trip
• All airport, hotel and clinic transfers
• A personal English-speaking coordinator
• Your implant passport with brand and batch numbers
• Five-year guarantee on the bridge, manufacturer guarantee on the implants

Is the extra £1,000 worth it?

For an upper arch, usually yes. For a lower arch with dense bone, All-on-4 performs well and the difference is harder to justify. The question worth asking your implantologist is not "which is better" but "which would you place in my jaw, having seen my scan" — and then asking why.

All-on-6 is usually suitable if

• You are missing all or nearly all the teeth in an arch.
• You are treating the upper jaw, where softer bone benefits from more anchor points.
• You have a strong bite, grind, or are younger and will be using the bridge for decades.
• Your CBCT scan shows enough bone volume for six implants.
• You are a non-smoker, or can stop for four weeks either side of surgery.
• You can commit to two trips and to cleaning under the bridge daily.

All-on-4 or something else may suit you better

• You have limited bone: four angled implants need less of it, and avoid grafting.
• Budget is the deciding factor and your lower jaw has dense bone.
• You are missing only a few teeth: individual dental implants will cost less.
• You have untreated gum disease, which must be stable first.
• You are a heavy smoker, where full-arch failure is hard to recover from.
• You take bisphosphonates, which needs specialist assessment before jaw surgery.

Our self-check below gives you a starting answer, and a Valentmedica implantologist reviews your panoramic X-ray free of charge before you commit to anything.

1. CBCT planning: a 3D scan maps bone volume, the nerve canal in the lower jaw and the sinus in the upper. Six implant positions are planned on the scan before surgery.
2. Anaesthetic: local anaesthetic, with intravenous sedation if chosen.
3. Extractions: any remaining teeth in the arch are removed.
4. Shaping the ridge: the bone ridge is levelled so the bridge seats properly and the join is hidden when you smile.
5. Placing the anterior implants: four implants are placed vertically across the front and mid-arch, where bone is densest.
6. Placing the posterior implants: two more are placed further back, angled where the sinus or nerve requires it, extending support toward the molar region.
7. Multi-unit abutments: angled connectors are fitted so all six present a parallel platform for the bridge.
8. The temporary bridge: the pre-prepared acrylic bridge is adjusted, attached and the bite checked before you leave.

The surgical sequence is the same as All-on-4; the difference is the number of osteotomies prepared and the resulting load distribution. That is also why it takes a little longer and needs a little more bone.

• Days 1–3: swelling and bruising peak around day two and can be pronounced. Ice, prescribed painkillers and antibiotics.
• Days 3–7: swelling subsides. Soft food on the temporary bridge. Rinse gently; no straws.
• Weeks 2–4: most patients feel normal and are back at work. Still soft food only.
• Weeks 6–8: diet can broaden, but nothing hard or crusty on the acrylic temporary.
• Months 4–6: integration completes and the gum line settles into its final position — which is exactly why the permanent bridge is made now and not sooner.
• After the permanent bridge: full function, and with six implants most patients report noticeably more confidence biting at the back.

Valentmedica works with licensed dental clinics in Istanbul whose implantologists are registered with the Turkish Ministry of Health, with in-house CBCT scanning and their own laboratory. You are given your dentist's name and registration number before you pay anything.

Risks you should know about

• Implant failure: under 5% per implant, but with six the bridge can often be modified rather than remade.
• Infection: peri-implantitis around one or more implants, the leading cause of late failure.
• Nerve injury: numbness of the lip and chin in the lower jaw. Rare with proper CBCT planning.
• Sinus perforation: in the upper jaw, which implant angulation is partly designed to avoid.
• Bridge fracture: less likely than All-on-4 because the rear cantilever is shorter, but still possible in acrylic.
• Screw loosening: usually straightforward to retighten with the right components.
• Speech changes: a full-arch bridge alters tongue space; most patients adapt within weeks.
• Food trapping: daily cleaning under the bridge is not optional.

Keep your implant passport and show it to any dentist who treats you. Full-arch work needs the correct system-specific components to service.

The main sequencing question with All-on-6 is bone. Where the upper jaw has insufficient height for the posterior implants, a sinus lift may be done at the same appointment or as a separate stage months beforehand.

Commonly combined with

• Extractions: nearly always, in the same sitting.
• Sinus lift: in the upper back jaw where bone height is limited. See bone graft and sinus lift.
• The opposing arch: treating both at once adds one night, avoids a second surgical recovery and lets the bite be designed as a whole.
• Gum treatment: where periodontal disease caused the tooth loss.
• Veneers or crowns on opposing natural teeth: so shade matches across the whole smile.

If your scan shows there is not enough bone for six implants even with grafting, All-on-4 with angled implants is the usual fallback — and it is a good one, not a consolation prize.

• Panoramic X-ray: send one before paying a deposit. Bone volume determines whether six implants are possible at all.
• Smoking: stop at least four weeks before and after. Full-arch failure is hard to recover from.
• Medication: declare blood thinners and especially bisphosphonates, which need specialist assessment before jaw surgery.
• Plan both trips: book the second provisionally when you book the first, four to six months later.
• Soft food: plan six to eight weeks of it, and shop before you fly home.
• Time off: two weeks is comfortable after the first trip; the second needs almost none.

The functional result is the headline: fixed teeth that do not move, no palate coverage, and the return of foods most denture wearers abandon. With six implants the bridge is supported further back, so biting on the molars feels more secure than with four — the difference patients most often describe after switching.

Longevity comes down to cleaning. There is a deliberate gap between bridge and gum that must be cleaned under daily with a water flosser or superfloss, plus a hygienist twice a year familiar with full-arch work. Patients who maintain it keep their bridges for decades. You can see cases at both stages in our dental before and after gallery.