Lisa from Wellington — All-on-4 upper arch, Osstem fixtures

Real patient story, shared with permission. This patient has consented to Picasso Dental Clinic publishing their experience to help other New Zealand patients. Treatment, material, NZD price, and timeline are accurate to the case archive. Reviewed by Dr. Tran Thanh Phong, Head of Implantology.

Lisa is 64, a retired Wellington nurse, with a lower arch of mostly intact natural teeth and an upper denture she had worn for 12 years. The denture was loose and the bone underneath had resorbed over time. She had been quoted NZD 32,000 for All-on-4 on Osstem fixtures by a Wellington private clinic.

She came to us through a New Zealand search and sent the existing CBCT scan her Wellington clinician had taken. We returned a written, itemised NZD quote within 24 hours: All-on-4 Osstem at NZD 8,333 clinical cost.

The quote conversation

The most important part of the All-on-4 conversation was the brand choice. From the survey: “I didn’t know there were three tiers. The Wellington clinic just quoted Osstem. Once I saw the Picasso tier breakdown, I knew what I was actually paying for at each level.”

She chose Osstem. Her reasoning, from the survey: “Dr. Phong walked me through why Osstem was a perfectly reasonable choice for my bone density. He didn’t push me to the more expensive option. He explained that Nobel Biocare would be better if I had specific systemic conditions or bone quality issues, but I didn’t.”

The case was reviewed in writing by Dr. Tran Thanh Phong before flights were booked. He has placed 15,000+ implants since 2001 and treated 1,000+ All-on-4 patients.

The two trips

Trip 1 — surgery and immediate fixed temporary (10 days)

Four-month osseointegration window

Lisa returned to Wellington and resumed normal life. We did a 6-week remote check-in, a 3-month video call, and arranged a Wellington GP review at week 8 (sutures had dissolved, but we wanted a local eye on the soft tissue). The temporary held perfectly.

Trip 2 — final zirconia bridge (6 days)

What it cost end-to-end

Against the Wellington quote of NZD 32,000 for the same Osstem tier, the gross saving was NZD 23,667 and the net saving after travel was NZD 17,637. The 6-month time investment was acceptable to her as a retiree — for a working-age patient the time off would be a larger factor.

The thing she didn’t expect

From the survey: “Recovery was easier than I expected. The temporary felt completely fixed within 48 hours. What I did not expect was how much I had to relearn how to eat. After 12 years with a loose denture, I had been eating very softly. The first time I bit into an apple with the temporary, I cried. I had not bitten into an apple in over a decade.”

We now include “eating timeline” guidance in the All-on-4 pre-trip pack — soft food for 6 weeks, then gradual return to firmer textures, full chewing strength by 3 months.

What aftercare looked like back in Wellington

Lisa had a 3-month check by her own Wellington dentist, who reviewed the bridge fit, occlusion, and hygiene access. We supplied the implant passport (Osstem lot numbers, batch, fixture type), CBCT records, and the staged treatment summary. Her dentist added everything to her file.

12-month review with the Wellington dentist — clean. She brushes around the bridge with a water flosser. The lower natural teeth received standard 6-monthly cleans.

Lisa’s three pieces of advice

1. “Ask for the full brand tier breakdown before you commit. Osstem was right for me — but I needed to know what the more expensive option would have given me, and why I did not need it.”
2. “Plan trip 1 as 10 days, not 7. The recovery days at the hotel matter — do not try to fly home too early.”
3. “Get your local NZ dentist on board before you fly. Mine was sceptical at first but came around once she saw the implant passport and the written treatment plan. The 3-month NZ check was reassuring for both of us.”

See also

• All-on-4 pillar — the protocol, fixture tiers, and NZD pricing.
• All-on-4 recovery — what Lisa was told for the 4-month healing window.
• Implant brand transparency — which fixtures we use and why.
• Wellington to Vietnam dental travel page — local benchmark and route logistics.

Request your own free NZD All-on-4 quote

About this page

Medically reviewed by

Dr. Tran Thanh Phong

Head of Implantology, Picasso Dental Clinic

DDS · 25+ years in practice · 15,000+ implants placed · 1,000+ All-on-4 cases

Clinical focus: Implantology · All-on-4 · Zygomatic implants

Dr. Tran Thanh Phong has practised since 2001 and leads implantology across the Picasso group. He was the first Vietnamese dentist to perform All-on-4 immediate loading (2010), placed over 15,000 implants across his career at roughly 600 per year, and has completed 400+ zygomatic implant cases since 2017. Loma Linda University-trained (2010). Clinical representative for Nobel Biocare in Vietnam since 2007.

Last clinically reviewed

26 May 2026

Published by

Picasso Dental Clinic

Review policy

Every medical procedure page on this site is reviewed by a named Picasso clinician before publication and re-checked when pricing, materials, or protocols change. Source documents are linked at the bottom of each page.