Yolanda holding a framed photograph of her smile before treatment
HomeImplantsAll-on-4Thin-Arch FP1

Thin-Arch FP1 Full-Arch Implants

Full-Arch Teeth Without the Pink Acrylic.

FP1 is the most natural way to make a fixed full arch: it replaces the teeth only, with the natural look of crown and bridge and no thick pink base. Dr. Nahlah plans it first wherever your bone allows, and your 3D scan shows whether it does.

Book a ConsultationThe Three Types
The Three Types

What Are FP1, FP2 and FP3 Full Arches?

A fixed full arch comes in three types, sorted by how much of it is teeth and how much is pink acrylic standing in for gum and bone. Two practices can both quote you “All-on-4” and hand back very different teeth. Some make every arch as FP3, on a thick pink base; Dr. Nahlah plans the arch as thin as the case will carry, FP1 first.

FP1, FP2 and FP3 full-arch prostheses side by side
FP1

Replaces Teeth Only

Natural crown-and-bridge look

No added pink, no extra bulk

Planned first wherever the bone allows

FP2

Longer Teeth, Minimal Pink

A little pink acrylic, following the gum contour

Rarely indicated, and often not ideal

FP3

Replaces Teeth, Gums and Bone

Thick pink acrylic stands in for gum and bone

The stronger option where bone loss is advanced

A thin arch is not always possible, and where bone loss is advanced FP3 is the stronger choice and easier to keep clean. Your 3D scan shows which one your bone can carry.

Who Can Have FP1
A restored full arch
Who Qualifies

Who Can Have an FP1 Arch?

Whether FP1 is possible depends on the bone and gum you still have, not on preference. The 3D scan measures them before anything is promised, and Dr. Nahlah tells you which of the three types your jaw can carry.

  • Enough bone height that the new teeth can sit at a natural length
  • Gums that still follow their natural contour
  • Teeth that need replacing across a whole arch
  • Where bone loss is advanced, FP3 is the stronger choice and easier to keep clean

Full-arch implants: All-on-4

The Plan

How a Thin Arch Is Planned

A patient reviewing her CBCT scan and an implant model with a clinician01

A 3D Scan First

The scan measures your bone in three dimensions, so the type of arch is decided from your own jaw rather than assumed. It is also where you learn whether FP1 is possible.

The bench and stereo microscope in the practice's in-house laboratory02

The Teeth Are Designed Before Surgery

The final teeth are designed before a single implant is placed. You see and approve the result in advance, and the implants are then planned to fit those teeth.

A patient resting with her eyes closed in the chair under sedation03

Guided Placement

The implants go in where the plan put them, guided by the scan. In most cases you leave the same visit wearing a fixed provisional arch.

Teeth-only full-arch bridge with no pink acrylic04

The Final Arch

Three to four months later, once the implants have integrated, the final zirconia arch replaces the provisional. A thick acrylic base is used only where the bone calls for one.

Dr. Nahlah with a patient at the practice
Day to Day

Living With an FP1 Arch

An FP1 arch is fixed: it stays in, and you look after it in place. It carries teeth only, so there is no thick pink base.

  • Fixed in place, not taken out at night
  • No added pink and no extra bulk
  • The natural look of crown and bridge
  • Cleaning under the arch every day
  • A general cleaning every six months

Because more of the gum line is yours, FP1 asks a little more of your daily cleaning than FP3, which is easier to keep clean. Ask at your consultation how the arch you are offered is cleaned.

Why Choose Us

Why Patients Choose Dr. Nahlah for a Full Arch

Two offices can both quote All-on-4 and deliver very different arches. These are the questions worth asking, and how our practice answers them.

What to askOur practiceOther offices
Who plans your archDr. Nahlah, a board-certified prosthodontist, plans the surgery and the final arch himselfSome split the work between a surgeon, a dentist and an outside lab
Arch typePlanned as thin as the bone allows, FP1 first, with no thick pink acrylic where it can be avoidedSome use one thick FP3 prosthesis for every case
PlacementEvery implant goes through a computer-generated surgical guide built from your scanSome place implants freehand and judge by eye
Where the arch is madeA digital lab in both offices, so shade and fit are corrected while you waitSome send the work out and wait weeks for it
Failed archesComplex and failed full-arch cases accepted, including work other practices declineSome accept straightforward cases only
SedationNitrous oxide or oral sedation, given by the practice's own teamAsk which options are offered, and who gives them
WarrantyFive years on the full arch, kept with a cleaning every six monthsAsk what yours covers, in writing
Dr. Esam Abou Nahlah in black scrubs with his arm around a smiling patient in the office hallway
Dr. Esam Abou NahlahD.D.S., M.S.
Meet the Doctor

Meet Dr. Esam Abou Nahlah

As an award-winning board-certified specialist in prosthodontic dentistry, Dr. Nahlah provides patients with a premier level of dental care using the industry’s most advanced technology. He has been practicing since 2003, in Northern Virginia since 2013, entirely on prosthodontics. Diplomate of the American Board of Prosthodontics and Fellow of the American College of Prosthodontists. In 2013, the American Board of Prosthodontics awarded Dr. Nahlah the most prestigious award in prosthodontics: “Diplomate of American Board of Prosthodontics.”

Adjunct faculty at Virginia Commonwealth University, teaching the residents in its Prosthodontics Postgraduate Program, and lecturing on smile design and implants.

Across that career, over 18,000 implants placed and over 15,000 arches restored.

Credentials & Certifications

  • Diplomate, American Board of Prosthodontics
  • Fellow, American College of Prosthodontists
  • Adjunct Faculty, VCU Prosthodontics Postgraduate Program
  • Certificate in Prosthodontics
  • M.S., Master of Science in Oral Biology
  • Fellow, International Congress of Oral Implantologists
  • Associate Fellow, American Academy of Implant Dentistry
Meet Dr. Nahlah
Cost & Financing

Your Price in Writing, Before Anything Starts.

Your price depends on whether one or both arches are restored, whether grafting is needed and the material of the final arch, so you get it in writing after the scan.

Up to $60,000Through Proceed Finance, over terms of up to 96 months, subject to lender approval.
Three LendersCareCredit, Proceed Finance and LendingClub.
Most PPO PlansWe file claims with your dental insurance on your behalf.
Free Second OpinionOn implant surgery. Bring the plan and any imaging.
What Decides the CostFinancing Options

What Our Patients Say

Other Options

If a Full Arch Is Not the Right Fit

Also hereSame-Day Dental ImplantsDenturesSedation DentistryImplant CostFinancingFive-Year Warranty
Questions

FP1 Questions

What does FP1 mean?
It is one of three types of fixed full arch, FP1, FP2 and FP3, sorted by how much of the arch is teeth and how much is pink acrylic standing in for gum and bone. FP1 replaces the teeth only.
Is FP1 the same as All-on-4?
No. All-on-4 says how many implants carry the arch; FP1 says what the arch replaces and how it looks. An arch on four implants can be made as FP1, FP2 or FP3.
Can everyone have FP1?
No. It needs enough bone and gum. Where bone loss is advanced, FP3 is both the honest answer and the stronger one, and it is easier to keep clean. Your 3D scan shows which one your bone can carry.
Why do some offices make every arch FP3?
One thick FP3 prosthesis can be used for every case. Dr. Nahlah plans each arch as thin as the bone allows, FP1 first, with no thick pink acrylic where it can be avoided.
Will I leave surgery without teeth?
No. In most cases you leave the same visit wearing a fixed PMMA provisional prosthesis, which stays in place while the implants integrate.
How long until the final arch?
Three to four months from surgery to the final zirconia prosthesis, then a further two to four months for complete healing around it.
I already have an FP3 arch. Can it be changed?
Bring it, with any imaging, to a consultation: whether a thinner arch is possible depends on the bone you have now. A second opinion on implant surgery is free, and failed full-arch cases are accepted, including work other practices declined.
Where can I get FP1 full arches?
At both offices: Suite 220, 7901 Jones Branch Drive in Tysons Corner, McLean, and 2855 Duke Street, Alexandria.
Book a Consultation

Book Online, or Ask Us First

A consultation includes the 3D scan and a straight answer about what your case needs, before you commit to anything.