Choosing an Implant Surgeon
How can you choose the surgeon best for you?
It
is critical for patients to ask questions about training and experience prior
to undergoing implant surgery.
In the right hands, implant
treatment is extremely successful. Surgical specialists (periodontists and oral
surgeons) have had extensive training and experience with implant surgical
procedures.
It's important to understand that
complications can occur even when experienced surgeons are treating
patients. However, due to their extensive training and experience managing
complications, experienced surgeons such as Dr. Tehrani are better prepared to
handle these situations.
The following questions can assist you in
selecting your implant surgeon.
The dental specialty boards require high standards of training and performance and ensure them by rigid examinations. Successful applicants receive diplomas in their specialty. To become "board-certified" and then receive "Diplomate" status in their particular specialties, additional rigorous testing must be passed before the specialty board. Periodontists have 3 years of residency training after four years of dental school. The recognized standard-setting organization for periodontists is the American Board of Periodontology. Dr. Tehrani is a Diplomate of the American Board of Periodontology.
Dr. Tehrani has been placing implants since 2007. Dental implants were a significant focus during her three-year periodontal residency. She often faces challenging situations that require the kind of extraordinary experience and skill that only comes with years of training and experience.
As part of their training, periodontists and oral surgeons spend countless hours in the classroom and performing treatment on patients under the watchful eyes of experienced mentors. Many procedures that were developed for natural teeth have been modified to enhance the results of dental implant treatment. In order to achieve an exceptional result in implant dentistry a doctor must have an intimate knowledge of bone and soft tissue biology and the procedures that can manipulate them. Dr. Tehrani routinely performs bone grafting and soft tissue grafting procedures on both teeth and dental implants as well as in preparation for the future placement of dental implants.
A practitioner that only looks at your missing tooth or teeth is not interested in the long-term health and success of your dental implants or your total dental health. You should always make sure your initial exam includes the following evaluations:
• A thorough medical history review
• If your tooth is not yet missing, the tooth's long-term prognosis should first be determined
• An overall examination of the health of your gums
• A complete bite evaluation including patterns of looseness and tooth wear and overall bite function
• Adequate size and shape of the bone and adequate amounts of gum tissue in the area of the proposed implant
• Determine if there are any anatomic structures, like sinuses or nerves, that impact the planned implant placement
Advanced technologies and the latest science not only offer faster diagnosis and treatment, but ensure a more effective course of treatment. It is very important before proceeding with dental implants, to make sure your implant surgeon has invested in the most advanced technologies available to help ensure a positive experience. Some of the latest technologies and treatments available that we use to maximize the effectiveness of your treatment include:
• Digital X-Rays: Make the surgery faster, safer and more predictable. (it takes seconds to see an image).
• In-office cat-scan imaging, that can better capture and more accurately analyze images of the jaw, nerves, tooth roots, sinuses and other data in a non-invasive and painless procedure. Utilizing state of the art software we are able to view 3-dimensional computer images of the jawbone to properly plan and perform successful dental implant treatment. We can visualize your implant surgery on the computer before we perform the actual treatment, thus increasing the likelihood of a successful outcome for our patients. We view this as essential technology for dental implant placement, along with other uses.
• Advanced bone grafting material and procedures that enhances the probability of success
Dr. Tehrani utilizes implants from the world's leading manufacturers of dental implants. The fact is that some dental implant companies have been researching the science of dental implants for over 35 years, and some are copycat companies that are manufacturing cheap, low-quality knock-off implants, that are marketed to dentists as “low-cost” dental implants. They have poor quality controls and significantly higher rates of implant failure are not uncommon.
Ask yourself: Do you want an implant from a company that promotes being the low cost leader in dental implants or one that is from a worldwide leading company with 35 years of research and science? Better yet, ask your dentist!
Implant placement is a high tech, constantly evolving area of dentistry. Dr. Tehrani continuously studies the latest research for implant systems that can improve on and best meet the patient’s needs.