Dental Implant Team
Dental implants are a highly sought after, fully customizable tooth replacement option for patients experience any level of tooth loss. From one missing tooth to all of one’s teeth, dental implants can replace them all with a prosthetic that is designed to last for decades. Enjoying an approximately 95% success rate, dental implants are a sound investment in your oral health and quality of life for many years to come.
Surgically implanted and consisting of a three-part system, dental implants also take time, skill, and various forms of expertise to install. For this reason, it is customary for one’s dentist or oral surgeon to form a team of people who will contribute to various stages of the planning and placement process. This is not a sign that one’s dentist is deficient in any way, but rather that they are cognizant that they cannot and should not do it all; other implant team members can serve to make the experience and the outcomes better.
Placing a Dental Implant
The process of placing a dental implant usually takes place in stages. It begins with a consultation and conversation about the process, which then begins the vetting process. While there is no age limit for dental implants, there are some basic requirements that must be met, such as a certain amount of healthy bone mass in the jaw and baseline health that is good enough to undergo a brief surgical procedure.
If the patient proves to be a good candidate, the first step in placing dental implants is embedding the prosthetic root into the jawbone, where it is then left to heal in place and merge with the bone over the course of two to four months. This is the one surgical procedure required for the placement of the dental implant, and also the stage that has the longest required healing time.
Once the implant fixture is firmly in place, the connecting piece and prosthetic crown or implant-retained denture can then be attached, finalizing the placement process and beginning the maintenance phase, which lasts for as long as a patient has the dental implants (usually decades).
Possible Members of a Dental Implant Team
Not all of these members necessarily for a part of each dental implant team, but the following figures are those that most often contribute at one stage or another of the dental implant process:
Dentist
A general dentist is usually in charge of coordinating care within the team, performing an initial series of oral exams that likely include X-rays, determining ideal placement of implants, and working with the patient to provide education and answers surrounding the process. In some cases, a general dentist may perform the implant surgery her- or himself, though this may also be done by an oral surgeon skilled in dental implant placement.
Oral surgeon
If the coordinating dentist is not a general dentist skilled in dental implant placement, an oral surgeon will likely perform the initial surgical procedure required to embed the implants into the jawbone. They will work closely with the dentist, dental nurse, and other members of the team to coordinate care following surgery.
Dental nurse
A dental nurse familiar with the implantation process is instrumental in assisting the surgeon before, during, and immediately after the initial surgical procedure. In most cases, it is the dental nurse who will prepare the patient for surgery, assist the surgeon during the procedure itself, and also ensure appropriate post-operative monitoring and care immediately after the procedure.
Dental hygienist
Dental hygienists also play an integral role in the dental implant team. The dental hygienist may be the one to take the initial X-rays and clean any existing teeth prior to surgery. She or he will also be in charge of overseeing much of the maintenance process following implantation; at this point, they will take over much of the communication among the team as well as serve as the primary point of contact with the patient, helping to educate them on best practices in terms of cleaning and maintaining their dental implants and also assisting in keeping them clean via regular cleaning visits.
Dental technician
Dental technicians also assist at various points in the process of placing a dental implant, including the creation and/or modification of various parts of an implant in the dental laboratory. They may also assist with various other phases of the dental implant process, particularly at the maintenance phase, where their expertise may be required to help with the repair of parts that require attention over time.