The edentulous maxilla presents, perhaps, the greatest challenge to implant therapy. The anatomic, esthetic, and functional demands for fixed reconstruction of the maxillary arch are affected by many variables, some of which are controllable by the surgeon and dentist. This paper describes those variables and offers suggestions for managing the controllable aspects of treatment while avoiding the uncontrollable ones. Suggestions for planning the surgical and prosthodontic phases of treatment are described. Keywords: dental implants, implant occlusion, maxillary implants, treatment planning