A
All-on-5 vs All-on-4
When the scan shows that a four-post bridge would leave too long a posterior span. Most common in upper arches.
Span controlvs 4
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Comparisons
All-on-5 vs the alternatives — where five is the answer, and where it isn't.
Choosing a number of implants is a design decision. The honest comparison is not "which is better?" but "which is right for your scan, your bite, and your maintenance reality." These pages walk through each alternative side by side.
Clinically reviewed · Last reviewed 24 May 2026 · Editorial & review
Three comparisons, three angles
Each comparison answers a different question.
All-on-5 is not the right framing for every full-arch case. It sits between two implant counts and one removable alternative — and the comparison that matters is the one your records point at.
B
All-on-5 vs All-on-6
When the sixth implant adds cost without changing the prosthetic outcome — and when it genuinely earns its place.
Diminishing returnvs 6
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C
All-on-5 vs dentures
The line between a fixed bridge that sleeps in your mouth and a removable appliance that sleeps in a glass. A different category, a different decision.
Category linevs dentures
Read the comparison
A flat compare-across
Side by side, the headline differences.
Read across the rows. Use the dedicated comparison pages for the reasoning behind each row, not just the result.
Full-arch options · headline view
per arch
- Implants required
- All-on-4: 4 · All-on-5: 5 · All-on-6: 6 · Dentures: 0–2
- Removable by patient
- 4/5/6: No · Dentures: Yes (every night)
- Bite force capacity
- 4 < 5 < 6 · Dentures: lowest
- Bone preservation
- Implants preserve · Dentures accelerate loss
- Speech adaptation
- Fixed bridges: weeks · Dentures: months, ongoing
- Diet over time
- Fixed bridges: ~normal · Dentures: softer, restricted
- Headline cost
- Dentures < All-on-4 < All-on-5 < All-on-6
- Lifetime cost
- Often closer than the headline suggests once relines, remakes & bone loss are counted
Headline cost is a useful sort. It is not a useful decision. The pages linked above explain when each option is the right call rather than the cheapest.