Oral health is just as crucial as maintaining any other part of your body, and a dentist is the only one that can guide you well. You cannot ignore your teeth and gums just because everyone around you seems to care less about them. Dental implants are one of the most common dental procedures that people seem to undergo. It helps in improving the quality of life for people with missing teeth, yet they still take it lightly. The decision to go for a dental implant is a big one, and you should settle for nothing less than a qualified dental implant specialist. Our easy guide will help you choose a qualified dental implant specialist for your oral health. So, let us get started.
Step By Step Guide To Choose A Dental Implant Specialist:
Step By Step Guide To Choose A Dental Implant Specialist:
The market is filled with many dental specialists. If you look online, you will have names in groups popping out in the result. Such clutter sometimes makes it hard for people to find the best one. The task seems like finding a needle in the haystack. Some people often give up and choose to live with pain as a better alternative. But this shall happen no more as, with our step by step guide, you will be able to find a highly qualified dental implant specialist in your city in no time.
A. Check The Credentials
A. Check The Credentials
Credentials of your dentist matters as it will help you to sort them out to find the one that suits you in every manner. For this, you must spend some time reviewing the background of the dental specialist, such as:
· Degrees
· Credentials
· Training
· Specialisation
· Certifications & Acknowledgement (especially from ITI- International Team Of Implantology)
Look for the educational background and see from where they have done their degree. A good doctor will have a degree from the top educational institutes of the country. Nowadays, it is common for people to have their degrees from other countries. So before you give in to that, check which country & university they graduated from. Furthermore, find out if the dental implant specialist is board certified and by what association. One of the biggest association that a dental implant specialist must be certified is ITI (International Team Of Implantologists). Not only this a knowledgeable dentist will also be a certified member of ITI. To know more, you can visit the ITI website.
A qualified specialist will have it all. So, if you come across a name that does not hold any of the above-mentioned details, strike them out of your list.
B. Experience Is A Must
B. Experience Is A Must
A good dental implant specialist would easily have a long streak of successful implants. Popular ones should have placed around 100-150 implants a year through their practice so far. To be specific, a dentist would have placed over 1000 implants in the 4 to 5 years of their practice to reach excellence. So look into the dentist’s history, years of working, success rate, and entire experience level. Thus, filter out the ones with the least experience level.
C. Specialization
C. Specialization
Like any other branch of the medical field, dentistry also holds specializations. Some of them are listed below:
· Pedodontics – Pediatric Dentist
· Endodontist – The Tooth Root Doctor
· Orthodontist – The Alignment Dentist
· Periodontist – The Gum Specialist
· Prosthodontist – The Restoration & Implant Dentist
· Oral & Maxillofacial Surgeon
So, check what specializations does the dentist that you have narrowed down so far hold. And then go for the one that fits best with your dental implant issues.
D. Complicated Procedures
D. Complicated Procedures
A highly skilled dental implant specialist will be smooth in tackling complicated cases and go through them effortlessly. Many dentists only go for easy implant cases but back out from a complex one. So look for a dental implant specialist near me that has more success rate in complicated procedures. The one skilled with storms sure knows how to sail across a silent sea.
E. Go For Referrals
E. Go For Referrals
The next thing that you can do on your search for a dental specialist is to ask for referrals from different people around you.
- Friends & Acquaintances: Networking always pays well. You should ask your family & friends who have gone through a dental implant. Ask them about the doctor that performed the procedure and how it went. A detailed review from a known person will give you a clear idea and a name to look into further.
- Other Dentists: It is common for people to know someone who might be in the profession and even have a dentist they regularly visit. Sometimes dentists even refer their critical patients to other professionals with better skills. So if your known dentist sends his patients to another specialist, it might be time for you to look for them.
- Insurance Provider: Health is a big issue, so it is now common for people to have health insurance. If you have an insurance provider, cross-check with them to see which dental implant specialists can your insurance cover. It might not seem a big deal, but the truth is choosing a dentist outside of your insurance plan can put a strain on your pocket.
- Online Resources: The Internet is the best friend that everyone has. You can use the internet to search for the best dental implant specialist near me. You will get a list of many names, and you can filter them via our guide.
F. Technology
F. Technology
The medical field is touching new heights with the involvement of technology to a great extent. Advanced technology has made it easy for dentists to perform complicated procedures with less invasive techniques. So another factor that can help you narrow down your choices is the technology used by the practitioner. A dentist using advanced methods and techniques with high-end machinery is the best option for you. The one still using the old ones surely indicates how well their practice is going or how questionable their practice can be. The better way is if you look out for the old techniques, current procedures, and latest methods going in the dentistry field. It will give you better clarity. See if the dentist you choose is doing digital dentistry or not. Some of the technological advancements you can look for are:
- CBCT Scanner- A dental implant specialist will often have a CBCT scanner as it is a crucial tool for their work. Such scanners help them to look into your mouth and have a better examination of your oral health. These scanners are highly expensive & only the best practitioners will have them. It is crucial because if you choose a dentist that does not own it, they will either refer you to a place that does it or even go forward with the procedure without the precise idea.
- 3D Printer- 3D printer is the new wave of advancement in the field of dentistry. A 3D printer allows the dentists to get your prosthetics in a couple of hours within their office space. 3D printers cost a fortune. So, if you can find a clinic that does dental implant procedures and owns one, it implies how well they are doing and how precise their techniques & methods are.
- Intra Oral Scanner- An intra oral scanner is another example of advance technology in Dentistry. The scanner comprises of a wand that sense or capture the digital data. It allows dentist to scan your oral cavity in a better way and provide more precise & detailed data. This can further help in making a 3D surface model.
G. Location
G. Location
The next step that will bring you closer to finding your perfect dental impact specialist is the location of their practice. A more successful practitioner will have their clinic or hospital in the prime location of your city. It is obvious to say that the better the location, the better the services. A good location means many high-end customers with satisfying results. So use the location to determine which are the best implant specialists in your city.
H. Cost Structure
H. Cost Structure
Having a dental implant means spending a hefty sum of money on your oral health, so checking the cost structure of the dental implant specialist is the next must on this list. The dentists you filtered out so far can be narrowed down further when you look into their cost structure. Check out the basic price for the dental implant in your city and use it as a base to filter out your options. The ones asking less than the basic price seem suspicious and are not the ones. So look for the ones with a similar or above cost structure. On average, in India, the dental implant cost range between Rs. 30,000 to Rs. 60,000.
Remember that the cost structure includes the dentist’s experience, skills, the technology they use, and location. All these factors make up the cost structure. So go through each of them before dropping out anyone from your list. You need to understand that an economic dentist does not necessarily be a quality dentist. There are matters when you have to spend hefty in order to get cured. So think about severity of your condition before you start cutting on your budget with a cheap one.
I. Online Presence
I. Online Presence
Today everything and every business are digital, so look for the online presence of the dental implant specialist. Owning and maintaining a good website can only be done by a knowledgeable practitioner. Also, a dentist doing well is the only one that can be able to have a strong online presence. So lookout for the dental implant specialist online. If they do not have proper presence and details online, then it is not a good sign & you can gladly drop that option of yours.
J. Reviews
J. Reviews
Nothing can tell you better about a dentist than his former patients. If you know any patients of the dentist you are looking into, ask them about the doctor, his practice and experience. Also, use the online platforms to look for their rating and online reviews. With the use of technology in daily life people tend to share their experiences with others to help them. So look if the dentist holds good reviews both online & offline. A skilled one sure will have people say good things about him.
K. Benefits By The Practitioner/Clinic
K. Benefits By The Practitioner/Clinic
Another thing that you must look up is if there are any benefits provided by the dental implant specialist or not. Some practitioners or clinics:
- Provide convenient access to high-quality care
- Prioritise older patients over the new ones
- Have a follow up with every patient even after the treatment
- Educate you on proper dental hygiene
- Personally remind you of your next visit or session
L. Aftercare
L. Aftercare
After any procedure whether it is a complex one or simple one, the aftercare is necessary. You will find many doctors who do not keep a regular contact with their patients for their health. However, there are also the one who offer proper after by keeping in touch, getting feedbacks from patients, and reminding them how they can take care of themselves better. You should not be overwhelmed by such service as it is a must. So, look for a dental implant specialist who does provide after to his patients.
M. Neatness
M. Neatness
A personal visit to the dentist before you go forward with your implants is a must. When you visit, you not only should judge the doctor but also have a survey around his working space. Look how well the clinic is maintained. See how the staff interacts with people, are the tools in use properly sterilized, is the cleanliness code maintained or not. A doctor who cannot keep his work place clean sure is not reliable to cure the sanctity of your oral cavity. So, the environment of the workplace is what you should observe carefully.
N. Set Up A Meeting
N. Set Up A Meeting
The final step that you must follow of this easy guide is to set up a meeting and have a one on one interaction with the dentist. Meeting one on one will tell you a lot about the dental implant specialist. You can easily discuss your situation, ask all the questions you have and clear your doubts, and see them as a person. A good doctor never gets a short while interacting with his patients. He will answer any question you have whether it is about their education qualification, methods of working, experience and others. Personal interaction will give you a better picture of the person, and you can judge if they suit your requirements or not.
Conclusion
Your oral health is just as crucial as the well-being of any other part of your body. So make sure you take good care of it. To be able to do so with proper guidance, our easy guide will help you find an excellent dental implant specialist in no time. We hope this guide helps you with your search.
Frequently Asked Questions
