Dental implants, a robust and enduring solution for tooth loss, are typically placed by dentists who specialize in implantology or by oral surgeons. These professionals have undergone additional training to master the complexities of dental implant procedures. If you're considering this treatment, Zen Triangle Dentistry is equipped with skilled practitioners who provide comprehensive implant services in Larchmont Village Oral Surgery Los Angeles, California. From the initial consultation to the surgical placement and final restoration, their team ensures that each phase of the implant process is executed with precision and care, aiming to restore both function and aesthetics to your smile with the highest standard of dental care.
The most common options for a dental implant are an oral surgeon or a maxillofacial surgeon. All oral and maxillofacial surgeons are trained as general dentists before returning to school to study their specialty. Instead of seeing your general dentist, you'll be referred to a specialist. This can be an oral surgeon, an oral maxillofacial surgeon, or a periodontal surgeon.
Each of these specific surgeons can be responsible for inserting the dental implant. In most cases, you'll be referred to a periodontal surgeon. A periodontist is a dentist who specializes specifically in the diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of periodontal disease. Because periodontists routinely deal with dental extractions and diseases, they are in high demand for patients who need dental implants.
Therefore, dental implant surgery is one of the most common types of surgeries that are performed. Many people need dental implants, but the question is who should place them in place. While some general dentists offer implant placement themselves, most will refer you to an oral surgeon. This is the best option because of the additional experience and training that oral surgeons have compared to general dentists.
When it's time for your biannual dental exam or if you start to have a toothache, the first person you'll call will be your general dentist. But if you need to install something like an implant in your mouth, you might need a specialist's touch. A dental expert or specialist who can perform dental implant surgery is known as an implantologist. Learn more about what an oral implantologist does and how you can find one that's right for your teeth.
A competent oral surgeon who is highly trained in dental surgery, even when he recently graduated, is the most qualified dentist to place dental implants. Another way to find an accredited implantologist is through this directory provided by the American Academy of Implant Dentistry (AAID). AAID grantees have been doing implantology for more than 5 years and have 400 hours of continuing education in the same field. For general dentists, implant placement is probably the only or one of the few advanced surgeries or procedures they perform.
While you can see almost any type of dentist for your dental implant surgery, it's important to know exactly how qualified and experienced each type of dentist is. Nowadays, even general dentists place dental implants, although they often lack the years of training and education that others have. From here on, your general dentist will finish the dental implant surgery by installing crowns or caps that are placed on the implant to create a false tooth. After administration of the anesthetic, the dentist or surgeon screws a titanium implant pole into the patient's jaw.
These are generalizations, so always research the credentials and years of experience placing dental implants that a dentist has, no matter what specialty they are in. First, the specialist will want to evaluate your mouth to make sure you agree with your general dentist regarding the dental implant solution.
