Dental implants require surgical skill in order to achieve the ideal depth and placement while avoiding vital facial structures such as the facial nerves. An implant put in the wrong position can result in permanent damage  so a skilled implant surgeon is essential to reduce the risk of problems.

However, a good implant dentist needs more than just skill in the surgical aspect of the procedure.  Your dentist must be skilled at assessment, as he or she will need to evaluate your oral health as well as your overall health, the quality of the bone in your jaw, your jaw alignment and jaw joint joint function.  He or she must have a thorough understanding of occlusion, or the way teeth bite together in order to function properly, as well as the aesthetics of implants as they relate to your facial structures and appearance.  Taking all of these factors into account, it becomes clear that choosing the right dentist is a critical factor in the successful placement of dental implants.

Surprising as it may sound any dentist can place implants whether they have no training at all or have received specialist training in dental implants. So how do you tell the difference between a dentist that is fully trained and one that has little or no training at all?

Well you need to do your research. To help you we have compiled a list of questions that you should consider asking your implant dentist and some advice about the answers you should expect.

 1. What are your qualifications?

You should expect your dentist to have some qualifications in implant dentistry that have been achieved by having to pass examinations. The most common form of qualification in the UK is the ‘Diploma in Implant dentistry’ that is awarded by the Royal College of Surgeons of London. Higher level qualifications include Master’s degrees in Dental Implantology. (Dr Nesbitt is one of a few dentists in the UK to hold a Master’s degree in Dental Implantology). Incidentally if your dentist calls himself a specialist in Implant dentistry then beware. There is no such qualification and it is illegal to call yourself a specialist in implant dentistry. Other types of specialty are recognized in the UK – Dr Nesbitt is recognized as a specialist in Oral Surgery – but Implant dentistry is not a recognised speciality.

2. How many implants have you placed?

Research suggests that dentists need to have placed over 50 implants before they have the same level of success as more experienced colleagues. So ask if your dentist does many implants – most dentists only place a few implants every year. In our practice Dr Nesbitt has placed and restored over 1000 implants.

3. How long have you been doing the procedure?

To gain experience dentists need to be placing implants regularly over a long period of time.  Dr Nesbitt has been placing and restoring implants since 1998.

4. What is your success rate?

Your implant dentist should be able to tell you how successful they are at placing implants. The usual success rates based on research are around 90-95% over ten years so your dentist should compare to these known success rates. At the practice we have a success rate of 96% over ten years. Incidentally if your surgeon says they never have any failures then they probably haven’t placed enough implants

5. Do you do handle the surgical and the crown part of the procedure?

Some dentists only do surgery and some only do the crowns on top (the restorative part). In these cases you will need to see two dentists to complete your treatment, often in different clinics. At the practice we complete both parts of the procedure unless you have been referred specifically for one part of the procedure.

6. How do you plan for implant placement?

This pre-operative assessment is essential if complications are to be avoided. Dental implant surgery needs high precision – 1mm can make a the difference between a great result and a poor one. In general a clinical examination will be complemented by x-rays and occasionally more sophisticated scans such as CT scans. At the practice we use a full range of investigations as needed.

7. How do you handle complications?

Although nobody likes problems they do occur from time to time. Your dentist should have a policy on how complications are handled and they should be easily contactable if problems do arise. At the practice we have a clear policy on how to prevent complications and, if they do arise, we handle them as efficiently as possible.

8. What safeguards are in place to guard against infection?

Implant surgery is an invasive procedure so specific precautions should be taken to prevent infections. At the practice we use single use instruments for your care where possible and use an aseptic technique (similar to a hospital theatre). We also have a strict infection prevention policy in place in accordance with the latest guidelines.

9. What type of implants do you use, and how dependable are they?

Currently there are over 80 implant manufactures making over 2000 different types of implant. At the moment only five implant manufacturers have long term research showing that their implants work over a long period of time so the type of implant that your implant dentist uses can have a big impact on how successful your treatment is. At the practice we use mainly Straumann implants – Straumann is the leading implant system in the world with the best research on it success rates.

10. May I interview former patients?

It is useful to find out other patients experiences of implant surgery. You dentist should be willing to put you in touch with previous patients they have treated. At the practice we are more than happy to arrange this.