What To Expect At Your Dental Implant Consultation?

The first step of your implant treatment to replace a single missing tooth is an assessment with your dentist or surgeon. This involved an intra-oral examination of your mouth to assess the remaining teeth and ensure they are healthy, if any tooth decay is found at this point or additional teeth need treatment to get them dentally fit, this additional treatment is noted to be carried out before the implant is placed.

After the intra-oral examination is carried out a 3D scan is taken of the area to receive the implant also known as a CBCT scan, this allows the clinical to asses the site due to receive the implant in 3d and ensure there is enough bone in the area to receive the implant if there isn’t enough bone in the area an additional treatment is required called a bone graft which we will discuss later on in this book.

Not only does the pre-op CBCT scan allow the dentist to ensure there is enough bone in the area, but it also ensure the procedure is performed in the safest clinical way possible by ensuring there are no nerves in close proximity to the implant site. By taking a 3D scan the dentist is also able to use planning software to virtually place the implant into the receiving site which helps in selecting the implant size so that all the necessary equipment is ready for the procedure.

What happens during the assessment?

At the assessment, the dentist will also carry out a detailed medical history examination to identify any risk factors for the procedure such as any medication a patient may take that needs to be considered before the surgery.

During the consultation the patient’s gums are also assessed and the health of the soft tissues are measured, in most cases, hygiene treatment is recommended before the implant is placed as the surgical site should be as clean as possible and the presence of plaque and calculus prevents this. Careful Planning is key and is imperative for the success of treatment.

In many cases, implants are placed on the day of extracting a broken or failing tooth. An example of this would be if a tooth needs to be extracted due to it being cracked and the dentist is unable to save it. In order for the patient to not be left without a tooth on the day of the implant surgery the dentist may take a scan or impression of the teeth at the consultation and send these to the dental lab to make a temporary denture or bridge which is to be placed in the space of the gap once the failing tooth is removed on the day of the surgery. the idea is for the clinical to be as fully prepared and equipment as possible to ensure the smooth placement of the implant and the overall success of the treatment.

What happens at the end of the assessment?

At the end of the consultation the patient is provided with a treatment plan which includes the cost of the implant as well as any other treatment required before the implant treatment to ensure the patient’s mouth is dentally fit, the last thing a patient wants is for a dentist to place an implant next to a tooth that is decayed as this could be a factor that causes the failure of the implant which would result in the need for it to be removed.

What additional dental treatments does YDS offer?

Other additional treatments that can be discussed at the consultation are treatments that are required to aid the success of the implant placement. An example of this treatment is a bone graft or gum graft, the different types of grafts a patient may need will be explained later on in this book.

The consultation is concluded by the dentist putting together a treatment plan which outlines:

1. The necessary treatment (if any) required to ensure the mouth is dentally fit before the implant placement appointment. Any restorative treatment required e.g. a filling is usually carried out by a general dentist although in some cases can be carried out by the same dentist placing the implant.

2. Details on the additional treatment needed to aid the success of the implant such as a bone graft or a gum graft.

3. Details on any temporary teeth included in the plan to replace the extracted missing tooth temporarily on the day of the surgery e.g. a single tooth denture.

4. The number of implants included in the treatment plan – in the case of a single dental implant to replace one missing tooth it would be one

The consultation is also a time for the dentist to discuss the total cost of treatment, this should be a fixed fee and not left open-ended. Most clinics offer finance which can help spread the treatment cost out. It’s important the dentist is transparent with pricing and offers payment options that make the treatment manageable for the patient. To look at our pricing in more detail, click here.