Thinking About Getting Dental Implants?

By R.S. Mayberry, DDS

Mayberry Dental

. https://www.mayberrydental.com/

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Thinking About Getting Dental Implants?

People with missing teeth, crowns, dentures and cosmetic concerns are turning to dental implants topped with crowns more and more.

Dental implants require a surgical procedure to place the body of the implant, then the placement of a crown. A common practice is to have a surgeon place the body, and another dentist provide a beautifully crafted crown.

Today, many dentists provide implants and crowns from start to finish, and the convenience for the patient makes this appealing. When the surgery and crown provider are one and the same, it's important to keep in mind that the quality and success of implant procedure depends on both surgical and prosthetic skills.

When choosing your dental team, you want a dentist who has a track record of excellence in both disciplines. With proper surgical technique, implant success rates exceed 95%. Likewise, excellent prosthetic skills increase the long-term success of the treatment years after completion.

Here are some helpful considerations when choosing your implant provider

Training by an accredited institution for oral surgery, or implantology, and advanced accreditation with that organization.

For example, the American Board of Oral Implantology/Implant Dentistry (ABOI/ID) requires a stringent process of training that includes a series of steps and the demonstration of skill and qualifications to an independent board.

An ABOI/ID Diplomate certification means your dentist has a broad range of skill and experience that makes him or her uniquely qualified to handle both routine and complex cases. An ABOI/ID Diplomate usually has the expertise to more frequently handle the entire case, improving quality and results, while saving you time and money.

Experience with implant surgery. An implant provider who has the knowledge, training and experience to perform implant procedures will usually have a high success rate. Your implantologist should have a thorough knowledge and understanding of all aspects of dental implant treatment, both surgery and prosthetics, and be someone who can provide maintenance and follow up preventive care when it is needed.

Choice of implant system. Although most manufacturers supply the same basic parts, it's important to consider that each manufacturer makes the parts differently. This means that the choice of manufacturer may affect your long-term satisfaction as well as your ability to have the implant worked on in the future.

Here are some questions you may want to ask What implant manufacturer do you use? How long have you used them? And why did you choose or switch to them?

You want to make sure the system you choose is widely supported so replacement parts and tools are readily available. In addition, ask about the research supporting any claims made by the implant system manufacturer.

Choosing an implant dentist is an extremely important decision that can affect you for decades so spend some time gathering information before having the procedure. A good place to start is simply talking to a dentist who specializes in implant procedures.