If you are living with toothlessness and are looking for dental implants, you might be wondering how to start.
Most people start their search by location, looking for the most affordable dental implants near them or choosing to search for the ‘best’ implants – trawling the web for things like “best dental implants London”.
However, the number one, most important thing to consider – that many people overlook – is how qualified the implant dentist of your choosing actually is.
Can any dentist fit dental implants?
While it may be easy to assume that they can, not all dentists can fit dental implants because they are not necessarily qualified.
Like medical doctors, who specialise in one type of medicine over another – be it orthopaedics or paediatric medicine – implantology is a specialised area of dentistry.
To be able to place implants, a dentist needs to be a qualified implantologist (or hold like-for-like qualifications at a higher level) which usually involves completing an MSc or PGDip after qualifying as a general dentist – looking for these letters after their name can help distinguish them from other dentists.
This includes:
- Consultant implantologists– who are responsible for supervising your care, but multiple dentists might perform your dental care on their behalf.
- Postgraduate students studying for implantology qualificationswho can fit dental implants under the direct supervision of fully qualified implant dentists only.
- Periodontists– experts concerned with preventing, diagnosing, and treating periodontal disease and placing dental implants in these complex cases.
Things to consider when looking for a dental implant specialist dentist
As well as checking the dentist giving you implants is suitably qualified, you should also be sure to ask:
If they are experienced in the procedure
More advanced techniques, like same-day or teeth in a day dental implants, rely on dentists that have a high level of both skill and expertise as the treatment plan is more complex.
Likewise, even if you opt for delayed placement, dentists having experience in the procedure you are choosing is essential, as it means that dentists can:
- Use their experience of past cases, refer back to them, and use this to inform current treatment plans
- Have access to alternative treatment pathways
- Can resolve complications quickly ifthey were to arise
This is not to say that newly qualified implantologists are not a good choice – but you might want to ask about their experience levels during your consultation to see how they plan to manage your treatment. Especially if you have a complex case.
If the dentist can accommodate complex cases
Some implantologists are able to fit dental implants successfully in patients referred to as ‘complex cases’.
Patients with complex cases have extra factors that can affect treatment, like gum disease, existing dental work, or low bone levels. If this is true for you, you should choose a provider that specialises in complex cases to be sure you get the treatment you need.
Alternatively, you can be referred to a surgical specialist or periodontist who works with the most complex patient scenarios regularly and can therefore work around your individual circumstances.
Finally, there is another important factor to consider – one that doesn’t relate to experience or skill…
The dentist’s bedside manner
Everyone will want to choose the most experienced, best-qualified implantologist to fit their dental implants – but if that dentist also has a poor “bedside manner” patients may still choose to go elsewhere.
While more traditionally used to describe doctors, a good bedside manner describes professionals who treat patients in a kind, friendly, and understanding way – demonstrating professionalism and empathy.
As such, while their qualification and experience level cannot be overlooked, it’s important that you take into account how every member of the dental team receives you and support you during your early consultations.
Because this is an important precursor to show you how you might be treated for the rest of your treatment – and once treatment begins it won’t be easy to go elsewhere.
Choose the right dental implant provider for you
More than likely, the implant provider you choose for your dental implant treatment will have suitable qualifications and bags of experience.
As such, prioritising whoever makes you feel the most at ease during your consultation is an easier way to choose between dentists who measure up closely on paper.
It can be argued that this is even more important than location. So, instead of looking in your surrounding area alone, for example, searching for “dental implants Birmingham”, consider expanding your locational perimeters slightly if it is likely you will receive better quality care slightly further afield.
That way, you should be happy with both the treatment itself and the outcome.
