A full arch that does not come out.

All-on-X replaces a full upper or lower arch of teeth with one fixed bridge carried on a small number of implants, usually four to six, which is what the X stands for. Unlike a conventional denture, it does not rest on the gum and does not come out at night: it is screwed to implants fused into your jaw, so it chews like teeth, stays put when you talk, and loads the bone the way roots did, which is what keeps the bone from shrinking away under a denture.

It exists for two situations. The first is a mouth where the remaining teeth are failing faster than they can sensibly be saved one by one, where rescuing each tooth costs more and delivers less than replacing the arch. The second is the long-term denture wearer who is done with adhesive, movement and the shrinking ridge that makes each reline hold worse than the last.

Planned and placed by Dr. Jasjit Sidhu at 82 Worcester St Unit C, on the practice's own cone beam 3D imaging. Fellowship with the International Congress of Oral Implantologists sits behind the planning, and the scan sits behind every promise: it measures your bone honestly, which is what determines how many implants your arch needs, whether grafting comes first, and what timeline is realistic for you rather than for a brochure patient. Full arch treatment is staged, and you can ask to see each stage, its purpose and its cost in writing before you commit to any of it.

Two names worth demystifying: you may see full arch treatment marketed as All-on-4 or under various brand names elsewhere. The engineering idea is the same family of treatment; what differs between offices is the planning, the surgeon and the aftercare, which is where the questions on this page should be aimed whoever you talk to.

The first weeks deserve a plain preview. Eating follows a mapped progression from softer foods toward a full diet as healing allows, and you will know the schedule before surgery rather than discovering it after. Speech adapts within days for most patients, faster than with a palate-covering denture since the roof of the mouth stays free. Follow-up visits are scheduled deliberately through the healing months so small adjustments happen when they are small, and the final bridge is fitted only when the implants have earned it.

The engineering deserves explaining, because it is why this treatment works for people told years ago they lacked the bone for implants. The posts are not placed like single implants, one straight down per tooth: typically two stand vertical at the front and the rear posts are angled, taking advantage of the denser bone toward the back of the jaw. That angling is what often eliminates the need for bone grafting, and it is also why the planning scan matters more here than anywhere else in implant dentistry: the angles are calculated on your anatomy, not estimated.

Ask at the consultation for your treatment plan, its pricing and the timeline in writing, so you decide with the whole picture in front of you, on the day if you are ready, or after sleeping on it if you prefer. The placement itself is a longer surgical appointment. In full arch treatment generally, a temporary fixed arch is sometimes attached on the day of surgery so the patient leaves with teeth rather than a gap while the implants fuse; whether that applies to your case depends on your bone, your bite and the plan, so it is worth asking at the consultation. Comfort options for the surgical visit are worth raising at the same time; sedation may be available depending on your case, and the consultation is where you get the straight answer. Either way, plan for someone to drive you home from a surgical visit of that length.

The honesty section, because full arch treatment attracts more overpromising than any other procedure in dentistry: this is a significant surgical and prosthetic undertaking, healing takes months, heavy smoking and uncontrolled diabetes work against it, and the finished bridge needs professional maintenance for life, since gum health around implants decides how long the arch lasts. Patients who hear all of that and proceed are the ones still glad a decade later. See the dentures vs implants guide for the fuller decision, or the implant financing page for how plans and payment work.