Upper or lower jaw: does All-on-6 cost more in one?
Most clinics charge the same for either jaw. The difference, when there is one, comes from what the scan finds, and the upper jaw has one extra thing it can find.
Medically reviewed by Dt. Hüseyin Yavuz Özbek, implant surgeon · Updated October 2026Most clinics price All-on-6 the same for the upper and lower jaw. The upper jaw is more likely to need extra work because the sinus sits above the back teeth and bone there can be thin, which may mean a sinus lift. At Precious Dental a sinus lift is £350 per procedure, charged only if the scan shows it is needed.
If you only need one jaw done, or you are planning to do one now and one later, it is natural to wonder whether the choice of jaw changes the price. For most clinics the published price is the same for either jaw. Where the cost differs, it is because of what each jaw is like inside, and that only shows up on a scan.
Key points
- Most clinics charge the same base price for the upper and lower jaw.
- The upper jaw is more likely to need a sinus lift, because the sinus sits above the back teeth.
- The lower jaw never needs a sinus lift, but may need a bone graft if bone loss is severe.
- At Precious Dental a sinus lift is £350 per procedure and bone graft £150 per cc, only if needed.
- Ask for the prices of extras in writing before you travel.
The base price is usually the same
An All-on-6 price for one jaw normally covers the same parts whichever jaw it is: six implants, connectors, temporary teeth, a final bridge and often a titanium bar. Clinics that publish one-jaw prices rarely split them into upper and lower. If you see a difference on a price list, ask what it is for. It may reflect a different number of teeth on the bridge or a standard allowance for extra procedures in the upper jaw.
Precious Dental publishes its All-on-6 price for both jaws together, £6,500, and gives one-jaw prices in a written quote. Whichever jaw you need, the extras that might be added are the same published list.
Why the upper jaw is more likely to need extra work
Above the back teeth of the upper jaw sits the maxillary sinus, an air space inside the cheekbone. When back teeth are lost, the bone below the sinus often shrinks, and the sinus can expand downward into the space. The result can be only a few millimetres of bone where an implant would need much more.
There are three common ways to deal with this, and each has a different cost:
| Approach | What it involves | Cost effect |
|---|---|---|
| Sinus lift | Raising the sinus floor and adding bone so implants can go at the back | An extra procedure; £350 each at Precious Dental |
| Angled or forward implants | Placing implants where the bone already is, sometimes tilted | Often no extra procedure |
| Zygomatic implants | Long implants anchored in the cheekbone, for severe bone loss | Much higher; £2,000 each at Precious Dental |
The idea of angling the back implants to avoid grafting is the basis of the All-on-4 concept, which Nobel Biocare describes as avoiding bone grafting in many cases. With six implants per jaw, the dentist may still be able to position them to avoid a sinus lift, depending on your bone.
The lower jaw has different issues
The lower jaw has no sinus, so a sinus lift is never needed there. What it does have is a nerve running through the bone that supplies feeling to the lip and chin. Implants are planned to stay clear of it, which is one reason a 3D scan matters. In a lower jaw that has lost a lot of bone, grafting may be needed, and that is priced per cc or per site.
Lower jaw bone is generally denser than upper jaw bone. That affects how the dentist plans the implants and how long healing takes, rather than the price.
How to budget if you do not have a scan yet
Until a CBCT scan has been taken, no one can tell you for certain whether you need a sinus lift. You can still budget sensibly:
- Ask the clinic for its price list of extras in writing before you travel: sinus lift, bone graft per cc, zygomatic implant.
- If you are having the upper jaw done and have been missing upper back teeth for many years, keep the price of one or two sinus lifts in reserve.
- Send any existing X-rays. A panoramic X-ray can give the dentist an early idea of bone height, although the 3D scan is needed to be sure.
- Ask what the alternatives would cost if a sinus lift turns out to be needed: a different implant position, or a different treatment altogether.
The calculator lets you add extras like these so they are in your total from the start. If you are planning only one jaw, one jaw or both explains the other costs that change.
Does a sinus lift change the trip?
It can. Depending on how much bone is needed, a sinus lift may be done at the same time as the implants or in an earlier visit, with the implants placed once the graft has healed. If it adds a visit, that means more flights and possibly more hotel nights. Ask the clinic whether your sinus lift would be done on the same day as the implants, and what that means for the number of trips. Our page on travel costs shows how to add an extra trip to your budget.
If you need both jaws, but at different times
Some people have one jaw that is failing now and another that will need treatment in a few years. If that is you, the order matters for your budget as well as your mouth.
- Treating both together means one set of two trips, one healing period and usually a lower total. A clinic that prices both jaws as a package, as Precious Dental does at £6,500, makes the saving visible.
- Treating one jaw now lets you keep healthy teeth in the other jaw for longer, which is worth a lot. It means a second pair of trips later, at a price that may have changed.
- Ask the dentist which jaw should come first and why. Sometimes the bite of the new bridge needs to be planned around the opposite jaw, which can affect the order.
If you go one jaw at a time, ask the clinic whether it would hold today's price for the second jaw within a set period, and get the answer in writing.
What the sinus lift price usually covers
A sinus lift price normally covers the procedure and the bone material placed under the sinus floor. Ask whether it is per side or per procedure, and whether extra graft material is charged per cc on top. At Precious Dental a sinus lift is priced at £350 per procedure and bone graft separately at £150 per cc, so a plan that needs both will show both lines. Clinics use different units, which is another reason to ask for the extras in writing before comparing quotes.
If your plan includes a sinus lift, ask the dentist how it affects your return flight date and whether extra hotel nights would be needed. Extra nights are a cost; a contingency budget covers how much to keep aside.
A quick budget for each jaw
| Upper jaw | Lower jaw | |
|---|---|---|
| Base All-on-6 price | Usually the same as lower | Usually the same as upper |
| Sinus lift possible? | Yes, if bone under the sinus is thin | Never |
| Bone graft possible? | Yes | Yes |
| Zygomatic implants possible? | Yes, rarely | No |
| Sensible reserve | One or two sinus lifts plus a little graft | A little graft |
Questions to ask about your jaw
- Is your price the same for the upper and lower jaw?
- From my X-ray, how likely is it that I will need a sinus lift or bone graft?
- If I do, would it be done on the same day as the implants?
- What does each extra procedure cost, and is it in writing?
- Would six implants still be possible, or would you suggest a different plan?
A clinic that answers these clearly before you book is one that is unlikely to surprise you once you arrive. For the full list of questions to send with any quote, see the quote checklist.
Common questions
Is the upper jaw more expensive for All-on-6?
The base price is usually the same. The upper jaw is more likely to need a sinus lift or bone graft, which adds cost if the scan shows it is needed.
Is the lower jaw ever more expensive?
It can be if bone loss is severe and grafting is needed, but the lower jaw has no sinus, so a sinus lift never applies there.
What is a sinus lift?
A procedure that raises the floor of the sinus and adds bone beneath it, so implants at the back of the upper jaw have enough bone to hold them.
Can I avoid a sinus lift?
Sometimes. Angling the back implants or placing them further forward can avoid it, which is the idea behind All-on-4. Your dentist will explain the options for your scan.
Sources
- Oral Health Foundation — Dental implants
- British Society of Periodontology — Patient FAQs: dental implants
- Precious Dental — All-on-4 and All-on-6
- Nobel Biocare — All-on-4® treatment concept
Checked October 2026. Where we give our own view as a clinic, we say so.
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