All-on-6 true cost: three worked examples
Numbers make more sense with people attached. Here are three typical situations, worked through line by line in the way the calculator does it.
Medically reviewed by Dt. Hüseyin Yavuz Özbek, implant surgeon · Updated October 2026The true cost of All-on-6 abroad is the clinic price plus travel for two trips, any extras the scan adds, a reserve and UK aftercare. In our three examples, using Precious Dental's £6,500 both-jaws package, totals range from about £7,500 for one person travelling alone to about £9,000 with a companion, two sinus lifts and a bone graft. Your figures will differ; use your own quotes.
A cost calculator is only useful if you understand what it is adding up. The three examples below follow the same steps as our calculator, but with the reasoning written out. Each uses Precious Dental's All-on-6 price, £6,500 for both jaws, because it is our top pick and its inclusions are published: implants, temporary teeth, the titanium bar, zirconia teeth, extractions, X-rays, medication, 4 hotel nights on the first trip, 5 on the second, and transfers. Everything else is an illustration. The people are made up; the method is real.
Key points
- The true cost is the clinic price plus travel, extras, a reserve and the first year of aftercare.
- In our three examples, the true cost is about £1,000 to £2,500 above a £6,500 package.
- Extras from the scan, such as sinus lifts, are modest when priced in advance.
- Companions and reserves are the flexible parts of the budget.
- For working people, time away is a real cost too.
Example 1: Margaret, 64, travelling alone
Margaret is retired and lives near a regional airport. She needs both jaws done, has a few loose teeth left, and is comfortable travelling alone. Her scan, once taken, shows no extra procedures are needed.
| Line | Reasoning | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Clinic price, both jaws | Package includes extractions, hotel and transfers | £6,500 |
| Extras | None needed after the scan | £0 |
| Flights | £200 return × 2 trips × 1 person | £400 |
| Other travel | Parking, insurance and meals across both trips | £250 |
| Reserve | One spare return trip, in case | £200 |
| UK check-ups, year one | Two NHS Band 1 visits at £27.90 plus a private hygienist | £150 |
| True cost | about £7,500 |
Margaret's true cost is about £1,000 more than the headline price. If she never uses the reserve, it is £200 less. Compared with her written UK quote of £24,000 for both jaws plus scan and extractions, the difference is large enough that she is comfortable with the travel.
Example 2: David and Sue, David having treatment
David, 58, still works and needs both jaws done. His wife Sue will travel with him on the first trip. His scan shows the upper jaw needs a sinus lift on one side.
| Line | Reasoning | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Clinic price, both jaws | As above | £6,500 |
| Sinus lift | One procedure at the published £350 | £350 |
| Flights | £220 return × (2 trips for David + 1 for Sue) | £660 |
| Room supplement for Sue | Ask the hotel; assume £20 × 4 nights | £80 |
| Other travel | Parking, two insurance policies, meals | £400 |
| Time off work | David has paid leave; no lost income | £0 |
| Reserve | One spare trip for David | £220 |
| UK check-ups, year one | Private dentist and hygienist | £250 |
| True cost | about £8,460 |
The sinus lift and the companion together add about £800. Because David's leave is paid, his time away does not appear as cash; if he were self-employed it would. See time off work and companion costs.
Example 3: Anne, self-employed, with a bigger scan surprise
Anne, 55, runs her own business and needs both jaws. Her upper jaw needs sinus lifts on both sides and some bone graft. She travels alone but brings her sister on the first trip.
| Line | Reasoning | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Clinic price, both jaws | As above | £6,500 |
| Sinus lifts | 2 × £350 | £700 |
| Bone graft | 2cc × £150 | £300 |
| Flights | £180 return × 3 (2 for Anne, 1 for her sister) | £540 |
| Other travel | Parking, two policies, meals | £350 |
| Reserve | One spare trip and two extra nights | £350 |
| UK check-ups, year one | Private | £250 |
| True cost, before lost earnings | about £8,990 |
Anne also loses about twelve working days across the two trips and recovery. She adds her daily earnings for those days to her comparison with a UK quote, because UK treatment would need fewer full days away. Even so, the overseas total remains well below her UK quote.
What the examples show
- The headline is not the total. In each case the true cost is about £1,000 to £2,500 above the clinic price.
- Extras from the scan are modest when priced in advance. Even Anne's two sinus lifts and graft add £1,000, known before she travelled.
- Companions and reserves are the flexible parts. They are worth having, and they are where you can choose.
- Time is a cost for working people. Count it when comparing with UK treatment.
Running your own example
- Get a written quote with the inclusions listed.
- Ask for the price of any extras that might be needed.
- Look up real fares for both trips, for everyone travelling.
- Decide on a reserve; a contingency budget suggests how much.
- Find out what your UK check-ups will cost; UK check-up costs helps.
- Enter it all in the calculator, or fill in the budget template.
Comparing with a UK quote
In each example, the UK comparison should be a written quote for the same treatment, plus anything it leaves out, plus any finance cost. The 2017 survey average of £13,425 per jaw is a rough guide only. If your UK quote is unusually low, or your overseas extras unusually high, the gap narrows; the method shows you by how much.
How the totals change with different choices
Small changes to the assumptions move the totals in predictable ways. Using Margaret's example as the starting point:
| Change | Effect on the total |
|---|---|
| Flights at £300 instead of £200 return | +£300 (two trips plus the reserve trip) |
| A companion on the first trip | +£300 to £500 |
| One sinus lift | +£350 |
| No reserve trip needed in the end | −£200 |
| Free NHS check-ups (Pension Credit) | −£56 a year |
| A clinic charging £50 per extraction, 16 teeth | +£800 |
The last line is the reminder: the biggest swings often come from what a clinic includes, not from the travel.
What none of the examples include
- Lost earnings for people with paid leave, counted as leave rather than money.
- The cost of complications, which cannot be predicted and depends on what happens and the clinic's guarantee.
- Long-term upkeep beyond the first year, and a replacement set of teeth years later. See cost per year.
Include those in your own thinking, even if they are not in the first-year total.
Doing the comparison with a UK quote
For each example, the fair comparison is a written UK quote for the same treatment, plus the items it leaves out, plus any finance cost. Margaret's UK quote was £24,000 for both jaws plus scan and extractions; her true cost abroad was about £7,500. David and Anne would do the same: get a UK quote, add what it leaves out, and set it against their totals. For many people the gap is large; for some, a local practice comes closer than expected. See UK finance vs paying abroad.
Finally, remember that each example assumes written prices. If any figure in your own version is a guess, mark it, and replace it with a written figure before you book. The total is only as reliable as its least reliable line, and the quickest improvement is usually asking the clinic one more question in writing.
The bottom line
Three different people, three different totals, all well above the headline price and all knowable in advance. Do the same sum with your own figures before you book anything, and keep the written prices that each line is based on.
Common questions
Are these real patients?
No. They are illustrative situations built to show the method. The clinic price is Precious Dental's published package; the other figures are examples.
Why include a reserve?
Because the NHS suggests allowing for an extended stay and possible return trips. A reserve covers that without stress.
Why do you not use average flight prices?
Fares vary too much by airport and date. The examples use round numbers; look up real fares for your own trips.
Can I run the same calculation for another clinic?
Yes. The calculator works with any quote. Enter the clinic's price and tick what it includes.
Sources
- NHS — Treatment abroad checklist
- NHS — How much NHS dental treatment costs
- Dentistry.co.uk (2017) — If the price is right
- Precious Dental — All-on-4 and All-on-6
Checked October 2026. Where we give our own view as a clinic, we say so.
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