Inside the 3 on 6™ Training Experience by Smile Systems

MIDVALE, Utah — Just south of Salt Lake City off of the interstate, a white brick dental clinic with bold black signage and the words “World-Class Dentistry” beneath its logo has become an unlikely hub of innovation. Every month, groups of dentists from across the country gather here not as practitioners but as students, coming to learn a procedure that some believe is redefining full arch smile restoration: the 3 on 6™ treatment.

The training happens at Smile Clinic, home base of Dr. Randy Roberts, the Utah dentist who first developed the 3 on 6 concept. For four intensive days, participants trade their roles as providers for that of learners—immersing themselves in classrooms, surgical suites, and even working directly with patients.

A Different Kind of Training

Dr. Logan Locke training a group of dentists in the 3 on 6 treatment

The program is deliberately small. Each session is limited to around six dentists, often accompanied by their dental assistants so that entire office teams can adopt the workflow together. That intimate scale allows instructors to focus closely on each participant’s technique and decision-making.

Under the guidance of Dr. Logan Locke, who leads the instruction, and Dr. Randy Roberts, who prepares them to troubleshoot complications, the dentists in training spend over 16 hours across two days learning the principles behind the methodology of the 3 on 6.

These first two days are spent in a training room adjacent to one of the clinic’s surgical suites. With wide sliding doors that open into the operating area, the room allows groups to move easily between lectures and live demonstrations. Here, dentists receive a foundation in surgical protocols, treatment planning, and the underlying science of the 3 on 6.

A lab kit for dentists to plan and prepare for their training surgery

“It’s been fantastic,” said Dr. Jiro of J Smiles Dental Implant Studio in Houston, Texas, who attended one of the recent sessions. “I want to be able to offer my patients a more conservative option for full arch restoration. One of the best things about the training is you get some hands-on surgery, but you also learn why you’re doing what you’re doing.”

By the end of the classroom phase, dentists are expected not just to memorize steps but to understand the philosophy behind the procedure. That, instructors say, is what makes the next stage possible.

Learning on Live Patients

If the first two days are about principles, the last two are about practice. On Friday morning, the dentists can be found in the various operatories throughout Smile Clinic, restoring different patient’s smile with final zirconia bridges, learning how to seat them for both function and esthetics. This portion is crucial for dentists to master so they can deliver a smile to patients that they will likely have for the rest of their life. Saturday morning starts bright and early. This is the crown jewel of the 3 on 6 training program: live surgery on actual patients. As the anesthesiologists get the patients settled and sedated, Dr. Lock goes over last minute instructions and protocols. By 8 AM, each dentist is placing implants for a patient receiving the 3 on 6. The experience, attendees say, is unlike any other dental training in the country.

Dr. Jiro working on a 3 on 6 patient during the 3 on 6 training

“I wanted to learn how I can do full arch treatment without having to remove so much bone,” said Dr. Chris Hughes of Hughes Dental Arts in Herrin, Illinois. “The instructors really care that you learn the material. You can actually do the surgeries on live patients—that’s another really big plus. I think it’s the best training you can get in the United States.”

Others point to the realism of the experience as one of its biggest strengths. “They try to set us up with complications and how to handle them so that when we get back to our office we are better prepared,” said Derek Stallard of Palm Springs Dental in Orlando, Florida.

Certification Beyond the Classroom

Even after four days of training, participants don’t leave with an independent license to perform the 3 on 6. To protect patient outcomes, Smile Systems requires dentists to complete a set number of cases under supervision in their own offices before becoming fully certified providers.

That process is supported by the Smile Systems Dental Studio, which helps plan surgeries and delivers custom lab components for each case. This ensures consistency in materials and methods, even as the treatment spreads nationwide.

Eight new 3 on 6 providers were trained in September 2025

For many providers, that ongoing support is just as important as the initial training. "Everyone at Smile Systems has been great; the lab team has been amazing," said Dr. Alex Shore of Signature Smile Arts in Chicago, Illinois, explaining why he is grateful for Smile Systems’ planning and lab services. “Better bite force distribution, better facial support, easier maintenance, and no bone removal are at the top of my list,” said Dr. Mary Oliverie of Oliverie Dental in Wall Township, New Jersey, explaining why she thinks the 3 on 6 treatment concept is the best option available to patients.

Denver dentist Dr. Traver Maxwell emphasized the patient benefits he sees in practice. “The 3 on 6 is cleanable at home, the patient’s gingiva is as healthy as can be. It’s amazing how different, night and day, that the 3 on 6 and All-on-4 are,” he said.

A Broader Community of Providers

The training doesn’t end once dentists head home. Each year, Smile Systems hosts a 3 on 6 Summit, a gathering of providers from around the country. There, doctors receive updates on protocols, share their own case experiences, and collaborate on refining techniques.

For Dr. Keon Ahghar of Carabelli Dental in Roswell, New Mexico, the ongoing collaboration is part of what makes the 3 on 6 unique. “3 on 6 is without a doubt the most conservative and natural result,” he said. “There is no better option if you are a candidate.”

A group of 3 on 6 providers at the 3 on 6 Provider Summit in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico (2025)

Dr. Roberts, who created the 3 on 6 over a decade ago, still attends each training session. For him, seeing dentists leave with both skills and confidence is what makes the effort worthwhile. “It makes me really happy that every doctor that comes through our training leaves knowing how to preserve bone and gum tissue and make beautiful, functional, and esthetic smiles,” he said.

Changing the Conversation in Dentistry

Full arch restoration is one of the fastest-growing segments of modern dentistry, with thousands of patients each year turning to procedures like All-on-4 to replace missing teeth. But the 3 on 6, its proponents argue, offers something different: a solution that preserves natural bone and gum tissue while providing permanent, esthetic results.

The fact that dentists are traveling to Utah from across the country to learn it underscores its growing influence. Smile Clinic in Midvale may not look like a typical training hub, but behind its white brick walls, a small group of dentists is slowly changing the way full arch dentistry is practiced nationwide.