Dental implant treatment involves a comprehensive understanding of facial anatomy, smile aesthetics and oral surgery techniques.
A Specialist Surgeon, through many additional years of study, experience and training others has developed an in-depth understanding of oral health and biology of the mouth. As a result, a Specialist Surgeon will be more able to identify and manage even very complicated patient presentations; often unrecognised by General Practitioners. A Specialist Surgeon is likely to have performed a greater of number of procedures and is better prepared to deal with more complex treatments, thus limiting the individual’s exposure to complications from inexperience, misadventure and incompetence.
Specialist Surgeons (Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery) have access to the Medicare schedule and can provide rebates to their patients for some procedures (bone grafting/sinus lift procedures/plastic surgery of the gum tissue) relating to dental implants, thus making these treatments more affordable.
So if you desire natural looking implant treatments, customised to your requirements with minimal complications, here are our Top 5 reasons you should see a Specialist if you are considering getting dental implants.
#1 – A Specialist Surgeon Can Increase Treatment Efficiency
The entire implant treatment can be completed in one setting – no need to run around town! Maybe you’re considering having your teeth removed and replaced with implant retained teeth on the same day? (‘Immediate Teeth Replacement’ / ‘Teeth-In-A-Day’ / ‘All on Four’ / ‘All on Six’).
You can be confident in the knowledge that the Specialist Surgeons at the Dental Implant & Specialist Centre are experts in this type of treatment. The Specialists will ensure your procedure is as efficient, comfortable and affordable as possible. With the latest diagnostic aides (3-D imaging and planning), we can devise minimally invasive procedures that aim to lower both the extent of surgical invasion and the risk of complications, thus reducing your recovery period and the number of stages needed to complete your implant treatment. Fewer stages mean reduced costs and allow for more affordable implant treatment.
That means you’ll be able to resume day-to-day life sooner after surgery, with improved appearance and self-confidence, more comfortable chewing with comfortable, stable and custom-fitted implant retained teeth that will greatly enhance both your smile and face!
#2 – A Specialist Will Offer You A Customized Solution
At the Dental Implant & Specialist Centre, your treatment is planned around CT scan-derived data to create a computerised 3D model of your skull and jaws. Specialised software is then used to perform virtual (computer-based surgery), thus allowing for accurate visualisation and a greater understanding of your individual anatomy (face, smile, bone contours and jaw shape). Specialist Oral & Maxillofacial Surgeons are regularly involved in facial reconstructive procedures and are well equipped to determine the exact position, size and angulation of your implants in order to create optimal tooth position, thus maximally enhancing your facial appearance and smile, ensuring clarity of speech and reinstating chewing ability.
Implant treatment is planned from the ideal position of the final restoration (tooth or bridge), with the supporting implants considered thereafter and so is said to be restoratively driven (form follows function), meaning that the final outcome is considered at the start of your treatment, prior to any procedure being actually being performed! This CT-scan-based digital 3D planning is used to create highly accurate surgical guides that reduce surgical time and complications and minimise the need for bone grafting procedures. That means a faster recovery with less discomfort for you!
#3 – A Specialist Surgeon Will Ensure Long-Term Success
If you are considering dental implants or a teeth-in-a-day procedure, you can be comfortable in the knowledge that each stage of your dental implant surgery will be planned down to the finest detail.
At the Dental Implant & Specialist Centre we strive to provide patients painless treatment in as few stages as possible. For most patients, this will mean tooth removal (atraumatic tooth extraction including debridement of associated infected tissue whilst minimizing bone loss to the jaws) and implant placement in one single stage. Thus meaning there is no need for a second surgical procedure (implant placement which often occurs 3 months later), and therefore no need for a second post-surgery recovery period. Some patients will also have a temporary tooth (an implant retained crown) or a bridge fitted to their implant (s) at this stage as well, which is why it’s called ‘Teeth-In-A-Day’.
A follow-up consultation will be needed to ensure that the bone of your jaw has healed around the implant (osseointegration/implant integration); the implant is tested using a pain-free technique. Once osseointegration is confirmed, the final crown or bridge can then be attached to the implant.
After that, the Dental Implant & Specialist Centre team will use the latest 3D optical scanning technology to create an accurate digital scan of both the implants and your mouth (meaning there’s no need for uncomfortable, gag-inducing impression material in your mouth). This digital scan is then used to construct your final custom designed and coloured implant retained tooth or bridge.
After around three to four weeks your final implant retained crown or bridge is ready to be inserted, which is so accurate that it often needs no adjustment. Your final implant retained prosthesis (Tooth or Bridge) should be immediately comfortable and ready for many years of trouble-free chewing, smiling and talking!
Like teeth, implants need maintenance and every patient needs to accept that ongoing maintenance visits are necessary to ensure that the implant prosthetics are being cleaned properly and where indicated are being reshaped/repaired to ensure longevity.
#4 – Using a Specialist Surgeon Can Lower Your Risk of Complications
All surgical procedures carry risks for the patient, but these risks can be reduced by consulting with a Specialist Surgeon who is appropriately trained to both recognise patients at greater risk and skilled to perform a wide variety of surgical techniques.
Some techniques provided by Specialist Surgeons will be beyond the scope of General Practitioners (and as such may not even be considered by non-Specialist Practitioners).
A Specialist Surgeon also has Hospital admitting rights to provide treatment for patients under anaesthetic (asleep); which can be a great relief for both the anxious patient and those requiring complicated or long procedures.
Our Specialist Surgeons are also experts in the identification and treatment of gum disease (periodontitis / periodontal disease). As the leading cause of tooth loss, many people in need of dental implants are likely to be the same people suffering gum disease. It is critical that periodontal disease is under control prior to you even considering dental implants. The Dental Implant and Specialist Centre team will ensure your mouth is in a healthy state before proceeding with any treatment; thus ensuring your best interests for long-term treatment success.
Around half of all dental implant patients can develop peri-implantitis; like periodontitis around a tooth, this form of disease that attacks the gums and bones supporting implants and can result in dental implant failure. Managing the gums around the dental implant can be a challenge, as the implant doesn’t get the same support from the surrounding tissues that a tooth does. Sometimes it can also be difficult to get the gum tissue to grow up around the implants the way it does around your teeth, compromising the final cosmetic results.
Our Specialist Surgeons are aware of these potential complications and actively incorporate measures to minimise these risks through knowledge of the latest implant and bone biology science, incorporation of the latest technologies and by quality assurance (complete ‘start to finish to maintenance’ service), to deliver a durable and quality customised product.
#5 – Specialists Surgeons Strive to Attain an Optimal Cosmetic Result
If you are considering getting dental implants, it’s important to understand what options are available to you and how you imagine the final result (and hence success) to look – do you have a high smile line (toothy grin)?; do you want a removable appliance?; would you prefer for the appliance to be fixed to your jaws?; maybe you have a loose denture that may need support with implants?; perhaps you’ve lost a tooth a while ago and been told that implants aren’t possible without extensive bone grafts?.
All of these factors have a direct impact on the aesthetics of the final appliance and your satisfaction with the final smile achieved.
Therefore you need to find an experienced Specialist Surgeon involved with dental implants to guide you through the various treatment options; someone adept with the latest technology and advanced surgical techniques; someone focussed on your best interests, striving to deliver an affordable, durable, maintainable appliance that looks great and enhances the individual’s self-esteem.
Like more information about dental implants? Contact the experts at the Dental Implant & Specialist Centre today on (07) 5503 1744.