When reviewing dental implant options, the first question many ask is, “Who can do dental implants?” Even though most people know they need a dentist, dental implants are such a broad topic that figuring out where to start can be difficult. Learning everything from the benefits to the costs and the processes can be overwhelming. This post will help simplify things by clarifying what dentist does dental implants.

What type of dentist does Dental Implants

Cosmetic dentists

First, cosmetic dentistry is not an officially ADA-recognized dental specialty. It is better to call it a field or focus area of dentistry, in which the most highly trained Cosmetic Dentists undergo Continuing Education, Accreditation, and Fellowship. Simply put, Cosmetic Dentists focus on the appearance of teeth. They may be an ideal provider for esthetic planning, smile design, tooth appearance, and provisionalization (creating and placing temporary solutions while permanent teeth, dentures, etc., are being manufactured or during a healing period).

Endodontists

This dental specialty primarily focuses on preserving and restoring your natural teeth. While they can still focus on specific areas of dentistry, like cosmetics, if they choose, they’re generally more focused on the question that comes before dental implants. That question is, “Can this tooth be saved?” This would remove the need for an implant altogether.

General Dentists

As their name suggests, General Dentists are the Swiss Army Knife of dental professionals and can take on a wide array of challenges any dental patient could face. You should think of this dentist in the same way you’d think of your Primary Care Provider in a medical context. They have enough general knowledge about the mouth that they can handle most common work and give you direction on which specialist would be best for complex situations.

Prosthodontists

This specialty focuses on diagnosing, treating, and managing very complex restorations. Prosthodontists are specifically trained to handle a full range of patients, from edentulous (having no teeth) to partially edentulous (missing some teeth) to dentate (having teeth but maybe not all) to those with a complete natural dentition (all their teeth). When the situation is complex, or a large number of teeth are missing or have issues, they may be the specialist for the case.

Oral Surgeons

If your specific situation is medically complex, you’ll be more likely to need an Oral Surgeon. These dentists have training in surgery, anesthesia, and how these two can be impacted by different non-dental conditions, which is unparalleled by other specialties. Their specific training matters more in situations like heavy facial trauma, heavy anesthesia, comorbidities(having two or more distinct medical conditions), and severe bone loss.

Periodontists

If we were ranking specialties by their relevance to dental implants, Periodontics would have to be among the top three. This specialty focuses on the gums, the bone that supports teeth, and diseases that can affect both. Situations involving tissue shaping, grafting, disease treatment of the gums or the bones they cover, and failed implants lend themselves more to a periodontist’s expertise. Even among other specialties that place implants, a Periodontist could be considered an implant specialist.

Factors to Consider

Expertise

Training

The first thing to discuss regarding training is that there are two types: training in dental school and training outside of school after graduation.

In School

Every dental specialty gets a different amount of implant training in dental school. Because programs vary widely, there is no way to know how much training a single provider received. In general, Oral Surgeons, Periodontists, and Prosthodontists receive the most implant training in school.

Post-Graduation

Training after graduation could strongly affect who is most qualified to place an implant. Dentists can get more training outside of school than they received during their programs. As a result, a single General Dentist could end up with more implant training than most Oral Surgeons, Periodontists, and Prosthodontists.

Experience with Implants

The biggest factor in expertise is the actual number of implants a dentist has done. A more clinical term would be case volume. The dentist with significantly higher dental implant case volume than another dentist will typically have better outcomes. When assessing expertise, consider both training and experience.

The specific situation at hand

If you are trying to decide which type of dentist can place your implant, one factor you can’t overlook is your specific situation. Do you only need a single implant or a full mouth? Are you younger and fit or older with multiple chronic conditions? Are there any injuries or congenital disabilities(birth defects) relevant to the implant?

Number of teeth to be replaced

The number of implants being placed affects which dental professional is the best choice to care for your case. In general, prosthodontists should be heavily considered when multiple teeth need to be replaced. When a large number of teeth need to be replaced, it isn’t uncommon for a prosthodontist to lead all planning, while other professionals perform the surgical work.

Anatomy

The location of the implant and any injuries or congenital disabilities you may have would require that surgical work outside of simply the implant be performed. If so, even highly trained and experienced general dentists will usually refer patients to oral surgeons or periodontists. Whether an oral surgeon or periodontist should be favored depends on your specific anatomy(the structure of your body).

Medical Complexity vs. Case Complexity

The number of teeth to be replaced and your anatomy are relevant not only because different specialists are better suited for the range of situations these produce, but also because each of them can increase or decrease case complexity. Case complexity in dentistry refers to the level of difficulty, risk, and multidisciplinary coordination required to diagnose and treat a patient safely. Another factor that can increase case complexity is your medical complexity. Medical complexity in dentistry refers to the chronic systemic diseases, cognitive impairments, or physical limitations that require dentists to modify standard care protocols. The higher the case complexity, the more likely multiple specialists (Prosthodontists, Periodontists, or Oral Surgeons) will need to be involved in your case. The higher the medical complexity, the more likely it is that an oral surgeon will need to be involved in your case.

Technology and Equipment Used

Just as Medical and Case complexity can determine what types of specialists would be best suited to work on your case, they also determine the types of technology that should be used. For example, CBCT(Cone-Beam Computed Tomography) imaging uses 3D dental imaging that captures hundreds of images of your head using a cone-shaped X-ray beam. For a single-tooth implant in a very low-complexity case, this technology may be considered over the top. But with high medical and case complexity, it should be considered a requirement.

Preference

While the factors discussed above matter the most in your selection of a dentist to work on your dental implant, your specific preferences do also matter.

Cost

Many situations lend themselves to choosing a specialist, but you should also consider the cost of dental implants. In most cases, it costs more to work with a specialist than with a general dentist. You should never bring a doctor with little experience into a highly complex situation, but working with the dentist with the most expertise in America on a low-complexity case likely isn’t the best decision for anyone with a limited budget.

Availability

After most of the decision for who to work with is made, availability likely becomes a factor. Depending on your situation, you may be in more or less pain or need. And certain dentists will have a longer wait than others. All other things being equal, you’ll want a dentist who is closer to home and can work with your schedule.

Dental Implants Consultation

What to Expect During the Consultation

Every practice and dentist has their own method of conducting their consultations. But regardless of how they vary, some aspects will be consistent. As you decide who will work on your implant, you should expect certain things to happen and ask questions if they don’t. In general, you can expect the dentist to gather an understanding of the problem and say whether the situation will require additional input from a specialist. Depending on how that goes, some combination of the original dentist you visited and the specialists will answer your questions and give you the information you need to make a decision. They will tell you whether an implant is appropriate for your situation, what types of procedures will be part of the process, and what the result, cost, timeline, and maintenance commitment will be.

Questions to Ask Your Dentist

You should ask your dentist many questions. Here is a list of questions to ask at the bare minimum:

1. Who will be placing the implant?
2. What formal implant training have they completed?
3. How many years have they been placing implants?
4. How many implants do they place a year?
5. How many cases like mine do they place in a year?
6. What specialists will be involved in the case, if any?
7. Are there any alternatives?
8. Is this the full cost or just a portion of the required treatment?
9. Is there anything that could cause the cost to change?
10. Are there any factors that increase the risk in my treatment?

Importance of a Comprehensive Evaluation

Dental implants are a more involved procedure than filings and cleanings. Because of this, the dentist needs to be thorough in gathering the information they need to make quality decisions. Some of the most relevant information is your medical history, your dental history, and the current state of your health (both medical and dental). Combining this information with your goals will determine what you need and what the dentist will recommend.

Conclusion

Recap of Who Can Perform Dental Implants

A wide range of dental professionals can perform dental implants. While not all dentists receive the same amount of training in school on the procedure, many can get additional training after school. Beyond training, factors such as real case volume and your specific situation will decide the right dentist or dentists to work with. So the real question is not, “Does my dentist do implants?” or “Who can do dental implants?” but “Who gives me the best chance of success in my situation?”

Dental Implants at Ballwin Dental CareDental Implants at Ballwin Dental Care

At Ballwin Dental Care, we’ve done a wide range of implant cases, from single-tooth implants to implant-supported dentures. We even have a prosthodontist on staff. Dr. Mohamed Rahhal is a prosthodontist and implantologist with extensive academic and clinical experience. He has a PhD in prosthodontics and implantology and also holds an advanced implantology diploma. You would be hard-pressed to find a dentist with this level of expertise anywhere in the area. If you’ve been wondering who can do dental implants, call 636-244-6249 or click here to schedule an appointment with our experienced team.