A
Bone & anatomy
CBCT-confirmed bone volume at all five planned sites. Sinus position, nerve canal, ridge width and any pneumatisation noted in the plan.
CBCT-ledRead 01
Candidacy
Who All-on-5 is actually for — written from records, not from interest.
Candidacy is a written conclusion that points at your scan, your bite and your bone. If a clinic offers a quote before they can answer "why five?" in writing, they are skipping the page that makes the rest safe.
Clinically reviewed · Last reviewed 24 May 2026 · Editorial & review
The honest split
A reasonable candidate, and where another plan is wiser.
A reasonable candidate
- Adults with a failing or fully edentulous upper or lower arch.
- An arch wide enough that a four-post bridge would leave too much span.
- Usable bone at the planned fifth site, confirmed by CBCT.
- Periodontal infection treated or controlled before surgery.
- Stable general health and medication review complete.
- Realistic about the two-trip timeline and lifetime maintenance.
- Willing to honour six-monthly hygiene and yearly reviews.
Where another plan is wiser
- No usable bone at the proposed fifth site (consider grafting or a different layout).
- Active periodontal disease or untreated infection.
- Medical instability that increases surgical risk in the near term.
- Heavy bruxism that cannot be managed during the healing window.
- A bridge design that cannot be cleaned cleanly around five supports.
- Expecting the bridge to be maintenance-free after delivery.
- Time pressure that cannot accommodate the healing window.
The five reads
What the assessment actually looks at.
B
Bite & load
Occlusal analysis. Posterior support, anterior guidance, parafunction risk. Drives whether the cantilever can be safely loaded.
OcclusalRead 02
C
Periodontal status
Active infection, pocket depths, mobility. Infection control is non-negotiable before any implant goes in.
InfectionRead 03
D
General health
Medications, systemic conditions, smoking status, healing factors. Surgical timing adjusted if needed.
SystemicRead 04
E
Maintenance fit
Realistic assessment of hygiene routines, recall availability, and willingness to honour the long-term schedule.
Long-termRead 05
∑
The written conclusion
All five reads synthesised into one signed document: why five, where, with what materials, on what schedule.
SignedPlan
Before the quote
If "why five?" is not in writing, the quote is premature.
A premium plan answers the question before it states the price. A budget plan reverses the order.
Sources & further reading
- American Academy of Implant Dentistry (AAID). Full-arch implant reconstruction — patient resources. aaid.com
- American Dental Association (ADA). Dental implants — MouthHealthy patient guide. mouthhealthy.org
- International Team for Implantology (ITI). Consensus on full-arch fixed prostheses and immediate loading protocols. iti.org
- Glossary of Prosthodontic Terms. Definitions of cantilever, multi-unit abutment, screw-retained prosthesis, osseointegration. The Journal of Prosthetic Dentistry.
- European Association for Osseointegration (EAO). Position papers on peri-implant maintenance and long-term success criteria. eao.org
- National Library of Medicine (PubMed). Searchable index of peer-reviewed implant-dentistry literature. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov