Dental implants are the perfect solution for replacing missing or decaying teeth, giving you back a full, healthy smile without the need for dentures. A dental implant is a titanium post inserted into your jawbone with an artificial tooth attached. It not only helps with eating, it works to support your other teeth from shifting as they would with a missing tooth. Choose the right dental professional for any type of oral surgery.
When you put your trust in a dentist, you’re entrusting that person with your health. Over the years, dentists have been taking on more types of procedures like dental implants that, in the past, were left to specialists like oral surgeons. Obviously, they take on extra training to do so but rarely is it the same extensive training that oral surgeons do. For this reason, they are usually cheaper than an oral surgeon but may have a higher risk of complications.
While a dental implant sounds like a simple enough procedure, it is not. It’s important to have an experienced oral surgeon perform your implant procedure because it is surgery, after all, and having an oral surgeon do the procedure will cut down on complications. Some of the complications that can occur are:
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Loose implant
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Infection or Peri-implantitis
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Rejection of the implant
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Allergic reaction
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Breakage of the implant
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Nerve or tissue damage
With a highly-trained and experienced oral surgeon, these complications are rare and there is typically a high success rate among them for dental implants, even as high as 98%.
When searching for an oral surgeon, a good place to start is with your own dental professional. He or she may be able to recommend someone they know and trust. Asking friends, family, or colleagues if they’ve had a good experience with an oral surgeon may also be helpful.
Questions to Ask Your Implant Professional
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Are you an oral surgeon? If the reply is “I’m an implantologist”, run. It’s not a real title and it means they don’t have formal training.
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What are your specialty and training? Oral surgeons will have attended an accredited residency program with formal implant surgery training. They should be able to give you their training details and dates. Check to make sure the training is legitimate and supported by the ADA.
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How many dental implant procedures have you performed? It should be a lot. An experienced oral surgeon will have completed hundreds, if not thousands, of dental implants.
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Can I see before and after photos? Often, they will be able to show you photos of their patients who have had the procedure done.
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Do you participate in ongoing education? You want a surgeon who stays up-to-date on procedures and new technologies.
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If I need assistant during off-hours, is there someone on-call to help? Even though complications are rare, you should have confidence in knowing that someone will be there if you need them.
When you visit the office, make sure that it is clean, the staff is helpful and they make you feel comfortable. Look online for personal testimonials and reviews. If you have dental or health insurance, you need to make sure that the surgeon is in your network and find out how much of the procedure is covered.
Your oral surgeon should have:
Experience.
Education.
Good Reviews.
The dental professionals at Oral Facial Surgical Arts are highly trained in dental implant procedures and Dr. Ron and Dr. Chris have a combined 25 years in the field of oral surgery. In their state-of-the-art offices in Central Florida, they perform dental implants, wisdom teeth extraction, bone and gum grafting, sedation dentistry, and facial repair, all in a calm and comfortable setting with a friendly, helpful, and knowledgeable staff.
If you’ve experienced tooth loss, call Oral Facial Surgical Arts today and get your smile back! Choose a dental professional at Oral Facial Surgical Arts today!
