Both jaws together, or one jaw at a time?
If both your upper and lower teeth are failing, you can usually treat them on the same two trips or split them over separate journeys. The choice changes how hard surgery day feels, how you eat for weeks afterwards and how many times you fly.
Medically reviewed by Dt. Hüseyin Yavuz Özbek, implant surgeon · Updated October 2026Treating both jaws on the same two trips means one surgery, one recovery and fewer flights, but a bigger operation and a tougher first fortnight. Treating one jaw at a time spreads the surgery out and keeps you eating on one side, but usually means at least three or four trips and a longer overall timeline. Your scan, health and bone usually decide which is sensible; your preferences matter too.
When people first ask about All-on-6 in Turkey, they often mean the whole mouth: failing teeth top and bottom, or a denture they want rid of on both jaws. The treatment can be planned for one jaw or both, and on the same trips or in stages. There is no single right answer, but there are clear trade-offs.
The two main routes
| Both jaws, same trips | One jaw at a time | |
|---|---|---|
| Number of trips | Usually two | Usually three or four |
| Surgery day | One longer session | Two shorter sessions, months apart |
| First fortnight | Swelling top and bottom; soft food only | Swelling on one jaw; the other jaw helps with eating |
| Time to a finished smile | Often five to eight months | Often a year or more |
| Time off work | Two blocks | Three or four blocks |
| Matching the two jaws | Both bridges designed together | The second jaw is matched to the first |
The case for both jaws together
For most people who need a full upper and lower arch, treating both on the same trips is simpler. You go through one surgery, one recovery and one period of soft food. You fly twice instead of three or four times, take two blocks of time off rather than several, and the two final bridges are designed together, so the bite, the shape of the teeth and the colour are planned as one smile.
It is also how many full-arch packages are priced. At Precious Dental, the published All-on-6 price is for both jaws in total, covering the two trips.
The case for one jaw at a time
Splitting the treatment makes sense in some situations:
- Health reasons. If your surgeon would rather keep each operation shorter, for example because of a heart condition or a medicine that affects bleeding, staging is safer.
- One jaw can wait. If your lower teeth are failing now but your upper teeth are sound for a few more years, there is no need to remove healthy teeth early.
- Bone grafts on one side. If one jaw needs a sinus lift or a graft with a long healing time, the other jaw may be finished first.
- Eating during recovery. With one jaw treated, you still have teeth or a denture on the other, which some people find makes the first weeks easier.
- Getting used to it gradually. Some patients prefer to experience the process once before committing to the second jaw.
When only one jaw needs it
Not everyone who asks about All-on-6 needs it on both jaws. It is common for the lower jaw to be the problem, because lower dentures are often the hardest to wear: they move with the tongue and have less to grip on. Others have a failing upper arch and reasonable lower teeth. If the teeth on one jaw are healthy, or can be repaired with fillings, crowns or a small bridge, keeping them is usually better than replacing them. A careful dentist will say so, even if it means less treatment.
Where one jaw has fixed teeth on implants and the other keeps natural teeth or a denture, ask how the bite will be balanced. A very strong fixed bridge opposite a worn denture or weak natural teeth can create uneven forces, and your dentist may suggest adjustments to the opposing jaw.
Surgery day with both jaws
Treating both jaws in one session means a longer appointment: extractions top and bottom, twelve implants and records for two temporary bridges. Most All-on-6 surgery is done under local anaesthetic, sometimes with sedation. You will be in the chair for longer, and afterwards the swelling affects both your upper lip and your chin. The good news is that the recovery happens once. Our article on the first nights in the hotel explains what to expect.
How the timing works when jaws heal differently
The lower jaw usually heals faster because its bone is denser. When both jaws are treated together, the second trip is often timed for the upper jaw so that both final bridges can be fitted on the same visit. If you are treating one jaw at a time, the lower jaw may be finished in around three months, and the upper jaw may need longer. See how long between the two trips.
Eating in the first weeks
With both jaws treated, everything you eat for the first fortnight needs to be soft: soups, eggs, yoghurt, mashed vegetables, fish. After that, a careful diet continues until the final teeth. With one jaw treated, you still have to protect the new implants, but the opposite jaw gives you something familiar to chew against. Neither route is dangerous for nutrition, but older patients and anyone with diabetes should plan meals before travelling.
Three common situations
These are typical patterns rather than real cases, to show how the decision usually goes.
- Upper denture, failing lower teeth. Many people in this position choose both jaws together: the upper denture is replaced with fixed teeth at the same time as the failing lower teeth, and the two new bridges are designed to bite together from the start.
- Loose lower denture, healthy upper teeth. The usual answer is All-on-6 on the lower jaw only, keeping the natural upper teeth. Two trips are still needed for that one jaw.
- Failing teeth on both jaws, a heart condition and blood thinners. The surgeon may prefer two shorter operations, with the jaw causing most problems treated first, after talking to your GP or cardiologist.
Practical differences for the trip itself
If both jaws are treated, plan for more help on the journey home: swelling on both lips can make drinking from a cup awkward for a day or two, so a straw or a sports bottle helps, and soft food for the flight is essential. Speech is more affected with two new temporary bridges than one, which matters if you need to talk to airline staff or phone family. With one jaw at a time, each trip is lighter, but you repeat the travel, the hotel stays and the time away from home more often. Many patients weigh that up simply: one harder fortnight, or several easier ones.
It is also worth thinking about the people around you. A partner who travels with you once may not be able to come three or four times, and a staged plan means more months of a mouth that is half finished. Neither is wrong, but it is better to choose with the whole timeline in view.
Questions to put to the surgeon
- Would you recommend both jaws together for me, and why?
- If both, how long will surgery day be, and will I have sedation?
- If staged, which jaw would you do first, and how long between them?
- How many trips in total should I plan for?
- How will the bite be balanced if only one jaw is treated?
- Does the price change if we split the treatment?
At Precious Dental the All-on-6 price covers both jaws over two trips. If your surgeon recommends treating one jaw first or keeping some of your own teeth, the plan and price are set out in writing before you book.
Making the decision
For most people with failing teeth on both jaws and good general health, treating both together on two trips is the efficient route. Staging makes sense when health, bone or healthy teeth on one jaw point that way. Your scan will settle most of the question. What matters is that the recommendation is explained, in writing, before you book flights. Our guide to the two trips shows how each visit runs.
Common questions
Is it safe to have both jaws done at once?
For many healthy patients, yes; full-mouth implant surgery on both jaws in one session is common. It is a longer operation with more swelling, so your surgeon will consider your health, medicines and bone before recommending it.
Does treating both jaws together take longer in Turkey?
Usually only slightly. Surgery day is longer, but the number of days in Turkey on each trip is similar. The Precious Dental All-on-6 package is priced for both jaws.
If only one jaw is bad now, should I treat both anyway?
Not necessarily. If the other jaw's teeth are healthy or can be repaired, keeping them is usually better. A good dentist will not replace teeth that can be saved.
Will I be able to eat if both jaws are treated?
Yes, with fixed temporary teeth on both jaws, but on a soft diet for the first weeks. With one jaw treated, the other jaw's teeth or denture can make eating feel more normal sooner.
Can I have one jaw All-on-6 and a denture on the other?
Yes. Some people choose fixed teeth on one jaw, often the lower, where dentures are hardest to wear, and keep a denture on the other. Ask how the two will bite together.
Sources
- Oral Health Foundation: dental implants
- British Society of Periodontology: patient FAQs about dental implants
- NHS: treatment abroad checklist
Checked October 2026. Where we give our own view as a clinic, we say so.
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