All-on-4 in London
What All-on-4 is, who it works for, where the NHS stands, how treatment runs from first scan to final teeth, and how to judge a clinic in London or further afield.
What Should I Know About All-on-4 Dental Implants in London?
All-on-4 replaces a whole arch of teeth with one fixed bridge held on four implants, the back two angled to reach firmer bone, which is why many people need no bone graft. In London, as everywhere in the UK, it is private treatment for almost everyone: the NHS funds implants only rarely, for people who cannot wear dentures after something like mouth cancer or an accident. It suits people with failing teeth or a loose denture whose health and bone allow surgery, which a CT scan confirms. At Peninsula Dentists in Greenwich, London, Specialist Oral Surgeon Dr Imran Riaz plans and places it, from £9,300 per arch, and the first consultation, with your CT scan, is free.
What Is All-on-4?
All-on-4 is a way of replacing every tooth in one jaw with a single fixed bridge, screwed onto four implants. The two front implants stand upright; the two at the back are tilted, so they can be longer and reach denser bone while steering clear of the sinus above or the nerve below. Spreading four implants along the arch this way gives a firm base for 10 to 12 teeth without an implant for every tooth, and often without a bone graft.
Across the UK the name is now used loosely for any fixed arch on four implants, and some clinics use five or six where the bone calls for it. What matters for you is not the label but whether the bridge is fixed, how many implants your bone needs, and what the fee covers. Our guide to All-on-4 or full-arch implants sets the variations side by side.
Who Is All-on-4 Suitable For?
It is designed for people who have lost, or are about to lose, most of the teeth in a jaw: teeth failing from gum disease or decay, a mouth of heavily repaired teeth that keep breaking, or a full denture that moves when you eat. It also suits people who have been told there is too little bone for implants, because the angled back implants are placed to use the bone that remains.
- Bone. A 3D scan measures how tall, wide and dense the jaw is, and whether four implants will be enough.
- Gums. Active gum disease is brought under control first, because it threatens implants just as it does teeth.
- Smoking. Smokers heal more slowly and run a higher risk of implant problems; stopping before surgery makes a real difference.
- Health and medicines. Poorly controlled diabetes, some bone medicines and treatment such as radiotherapy to the jaw need careful planning, and occasionally rule surgery out.
None of these is decided from a description. The answer comes from an examination, your medical history and the scan.
Find Out Whether All-on-4 Suits Your Jaw
A full-arch consultation with Dr Imran Riaz, CT scan included, is free, and you go home with your plan and its fixed fee in writing.
Can You Get All-on-4 on the NHS in London?
Almost never. NHS guidance says implants are usually private treatment. The exceptions are uncommon: patients who are unable to wear dentures because of something like mouth cancer or an accident. That care is provided by a hospital team, not by a high-street dentist. Where teeth have simply worn out, decayed or loosened over the years, which is the usual route to All-on-4, it is paid for privately wherever you live in the UK.
The NHS alternative for a whole jaw is a full denture. If a denture is what you have now and it will not stay put, a clip-in denture on two to four implants is the middle route, explained on our implant-retained dentures page.
What Happens, From First Scan to Final Teeth?
- Consultation and CT scan. Your mouth, medical history and goals are assessed, the jaw is scanned in 3D, and you are told plainly whether All-on-4 suits you and which pathway fits.
- Planning. Each implant's angle and depth is mapped on the scan, and your new teeth are designed for your face, bite and smile line.
- Surgery day. Any failing teeth are removed and the implants placed with local anaesthetic, and IV sedation as well if you choose. On a same-day pathway a fixed temporary bridge goes on before you leave, where the implants are firm enough.1
- Healing. Over the next few months the bone bonds to the implants, with reviews along the way, while you eat a soft diet at first.
- Final teeth. The permanent bridge is made from scans of the healed mouth and fitted, followed by three-monthly hygiene visits to keep the implants healthy.
What surgery day itself feels like, and the first weeks after it, are covered in our guide to teeth in a day.
What Does All-on-4 Cost at Our London Practice?
We charge per arch, on four published pathways. The pathway depends on where your mouth starts from, not on extras added later:
| Pathway | Per arch |
|---|---|
| 01 Healed Foundation: the jaw has already healed, often under a denture | £9,300 |
| 02 Staged Treatment: extractions, then implants once the gums have healed | £11,500 |
| 03 Same-Day Fixed Teeth: surgery and a fixed temporary bridge in one visit, where suitable | £13,500 |
| 04 Premium Guided Zirconia: same day, with a custom guide and zirconia teeth | £14,950 |
Every pathway includes the CT scan, the planning, the implants, the bridge it lists and your reviews, and comes with our written implant guarantee.2 IV sedation is £500 a session. Chrysalis Finance can spread the cost of treatment from £1,500 (subject to status) without interest across 6 or 12 months, or at 14.9% APR representative over a longer term.5 Each pathway is explained in full under All-on-4 dental implants in London.
How Do You Choose an All-on-4 Clinic in London?
Whether you are comparing clinics across London or further afield, the same checks apply:
- Check the dentist's registration at gdc-uk.org, where the register also shows any specialist list they are on.
- In England, read the practice's latest Care Quality Commission report, which is public.
- Ask who places the implants, who designs and fits the bridge, and whether the CT scan is taken on site.
- Ask whether the quote is per arch or for both jaws, and whether it includes the temporary bridge, the final bridge and sedation.
- Ask what happens if the temporary breaks or an implant fails to settle, and get the guarantee and its conditions in writing.
- Count the visits, especially if the clinic is a journey away, because reviews and maintenance carry on long after surgery day.
Our ten questions for any implant dentist go into each of these.
Coming to Greenwich From Across London and Beyond
You will find us on Chandlers Avenue, a short walk of around ten minutes from North Greenwich, where the Jubilee line connects with mainline trains at London Bridge, Waterloo and Stratford. Treatment takes several visits over a few months, so if you would be travelling, it is worth seeing your written plan first, with every appointment listed, and weighing that against treatment nearer home. The consultation and CT scan are free, so finding out costs you only the journey.
Questions
This guide explains the options in general terms. Only an examination can tell you which of them suits your own teeth.