All-on-4 and All-on-X Full Arch Design: What Labs Should Know

5 min read

What an All-on-X design includes

An All-on-X prosthesis replaces a full arch on four or more implants. The design connects the implant positions, the tooth setup and the gingiva into one screw-retained restoration, which can be milled or printed as a temporary, a monolithic final, or a framework with a superstructure.

Files the designer needs

  • Scan with scan bodies (or a verified model) showing the exact implant positions
  • Implant system and connection type
  • Antagonist arch and a bite or vertical dimension reference
  • Existing denture, provisional or pre-op scan to guide the tooth setup
  • Photos and midline/smile line information when available

The design steps

The designer aligns the scan bodies with the implant library, sets up the teeth in the correct position and occlusion, designs the gingiva, checks screw channel access and material thickness, and prepares the output files. Many labs ask to approve the tooth setup before the final design is completed.

Bar, hybrid or monolithic?

A monolithic full arch is designed as one piece. A bar-supported design separates a framework from the teeth and gingiva, which is useful when different materials are combined. Your choice depends on the materials and production equipment your lab uses.

See our full arch step-by-step page, our implant bar design service and our full arch design service for details.

Need this designed for you?

We design these cases remotely for dental labs and clinics, with revisions included.

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Fast, precise and customized results

Email us your case and scans and get a design quote. First case? We'll confirm turnaround before we start.

Prefer email? Send your files directly to info@dmdentaldesign.com.