How Do I Choose a Dental Implant Specialist?

Are you experiencing gum disease, tooth decay or teeth injuries? The best thing you can do is to go to your dentist to work out what is happening and save your teeth. But if this feat seems impossible, or you already have missing teeth, your next most natural solution would be dental implants. Dental implants will restore your smile, along with your self-confidence, and even help protect neighboring natural teeth by improving how you chew.

Dental implants can both be a physically and financially involved process. These are investments in your oral health and your overall appearance. But how do you pick the best dental implant surgeon to do the procedure on you? In most states, any dentist can perform most types of surgery. However, most family and general practice dentists will refer you to dental surgeons or periodontists for dental implants. It is important to look for a specialist who will work as a partner with your current dentist, so both of them can give you the best care possible.

Here are five qualities to look for in an implant surgeon.

Education. Those who are looking to enhance their skills can avail of post-graduate degrees beyond the DDS degree along with further education in specialist fields, like dental surgery and periodontics. Such specializations and degrees go more in depth on implantation, gum health, and improving long-term outcomes.
Experience. Although education and training are important, practice and experience allows the specialist to gain hands-on knowledge on the procedures and techniques that work for each particular situation of their patient. It is important to look for a balance the number of procedures they have done and how they keep up with the newest techniques and technologies. Knowledge and skills are both crucial in improving surgery outcomes. See if they are the go-to provider for referrals, or if they are respected in the industry in their area.
Philosophy. A dental implant specialist should not be too enthusiastic about using implants as a fix-all for all dental problems. Because this procedure carries some risks, dentists should have researched every option to help the gums and fix the natural teeth before considering implant surgery.
Personality and care. The dental implant surgery can take several visits involving diagnosis, planning and post-operative checkup. Thus, it is important that you are comfortable with your specialist and their staff so you can freely ask questions about your care and be less stressed about the whole experience. Feeling confident and comfortable with your chosen specialist can make all the difference as you go through the whole process.

When choosing the best implant specialist, start with your initial list of the credentials, education or experience of your potential providers. After narrowing down your list based on the key qualities of every specialist, try to make appointments to visit the offices of your top choices for a consultation. During this time, get a feel for the provider’s personality, practices, and philosophy. Make sure to also check out the clinic staff. Once you have the right fit among all the key qualities, then you can move forward with the surgery.

Dental implants is a good investment for your dental and overall health and well being. Sure, there are risks and complications associated with it, just like any surgical procedure, but there are ways that you can minimise this. Go with a specialist that has the training, experience and motivation for excellence, which should make them a good fit for patients who are dental implant candidates.