5 Important Questions You Should Be Asking Your Dental Implant Dentist
There’s no getting away from the fact that undergoing dental implants in Richmond is a big undertaking and as such it isn’t something that potential patients should enter into lightly. Despite this many people fail to do their research and for this reason they tend to enter into the procedure with little or no knowledge about what’s going to happen. This can result in an unnecessary and greater fear. With this in mind, and to help you make the right dental decisions, here are 5 important questions you really should be asking your dental implant dentist.
What experience do you have?
A good gauge to understand what experience a dentist has is by asking them how many implants they’ve placed. Any dentist worth their salt will be more than happy to divulge this information. Clearly the more implants they’ve successfully placed, the more confident you should be in their abilities.
What is it that I need done?
The number of implants and the complexity of the procedure will have an immediate effect on the overall price, so make sure you have a good understanding of what you need to get done. It could be for instance that you need a simple implant with no other procedures. Conversely if you’ve suffered a missing tooth or teeth for any period of time then there’s a strong chance that you’ll also have suffered bone loss. In this case a bone graft will also need be carried out before any implants are placed to give them sufficient bone for support. Clearly this is going to impact on both time and overall costs. Before you commit, your dentist should be able to give you a complete break down of everything that needs doing and the costs involved.
What implants are you using?
Did you know that there are over 140 different types of dental implant systems available on the market? The prominent manufacturers including companies such as Straumann, Astratech and Zimmer have over 20 years of experience and longevity in what is becoming a seriously competitive industry. As such they tend to continually deliver products that delivert good results. For this reason many dentist will use them but it always pays to check as to whether they’re using lesser known implants.
How do you deal with nervous patients?
Dental fear is a common problem and it’s understandable that you’re likely to feel at the very least, apprehensive about the upcoming treatment. Therefore how a dentist deals with nervous patients should be important to you. Many clinics deliver conscious sedation to help patients relax, which in turn helps to deliver pain-free dentistry. There are several ways of doing this (all of which are totally harmless). Therefore you might want to ask the dentist what method/s they use.
Are there any guarantees of success?
Dental implants rely heavily on many outside factors which can and do affect the success rates of the implant. For example, are you committed to maintaining high standards of oral hygiene for the rest of your life? Do you smoke or drink heavily? Do you have a poor diet? Each of these factors can dramatically affect the longevity or success of a dental implant in Richmond. For these reasons an experienced implantologist will and should never guarantee success. They will however be able to give you their success percentages, which should be in the high 90% bracket. This is a clear indication that you may or may not be in safe hands.
Remember the more you know about dental implants in Richmond the better equipped you are to deal with what’s going to happen, so don’t be afraid to ask the right questions. This is why we like to offer people a free, no obligation consultation where you can visit the premises, meet the team and get any questions or concerns you have answered allowing you to make a fully informed dental decision. To book your consultation today either visit our website at www.sheendentalimplants.co.uk or alternatively phone us directly on 020 8876 5277. We look forward to welcoming you.