The dental implant procedure is a surgical procedure and requires the expertise of a skilled dental professional. There are several types of dentist who can carry out this procedure.
A general dentist, while not specifically a dental implant dentist can perform a dental implant surgery.
He can do so if he has taken additional training in oral and maxillofacial training. However, he ordinarily can out restorative treatments like fixing crowns and bridges.
He can also carry out simple bone grafting without additional training. A general dentist may require the assistance of another dental professional to carry out the dental implant procedure.
Dental Implant Dentist Specialties
A prosthodontist is another type of dentist who can carry out dental implantation surgery. His specialty lies in teeth restoration and replacement.
This dental specialty requires further two to three years of training after the four years of dental training. He can place crowns, bridges, veneers, dentures and dental implants.
A prosthodontist can do the dental implantation all by himself but other dental specialists can be involved in the treatment of the patient.
An oral and maxillofacial surgeon is another dental implant dentist. Besides the four years of dental school, an oral and maxillofacial surgeon also completes a four year surgical residency.
The oral surgeon reconstructs facial bones, removes teeth especially wisdom teeth and impacted teeth, removes tumors, does complicated bone grafts and handles dental implantations.
The dental implant procedure requires surgery and this where the oral surgeon comes in. This type of dentist can administer local and general anesthesia.
However, an oral and maxillofacial surgeon does not provide the tooth replacement so will require the help of a general dentist or a prosthodontist.
A periodontist is a specialist most concerned with the treatment of gum diseases. He is also qualified to place dental implants.
A general dentist may refer difficult cases to either one of these specialist depending on the type of difficult.
A dental implantation procedure may involve all these specialists at some point but it is important to note that the higher the number of specialists involved, the higher the dental implants cost.
