In our previous article, we helped you prepare for your dental implant consultation by presenting some of the questions that we often hear from our potential patients. In this article we will be taking the idea a bit further, to help you get the most out of your dental implant consultation with your dentist.

Asking the right questions to find out about the right dental treatment for you and to understand the different aspects of it is indeed very useful, both for you and for your dentist. Here at Bridgeways Dental in Southampton, a lot of patients meet us for the first time at a dental implant consultation. Whether they have been referred by their own general dentist or they have found us online, they have already decided that we are at least trustworthy enough to deserve the opportunity to provide a dental implant consultation.

But how does a dental patient get to the point that they trust us to go ahead with the procedure? Some patients ask a number of questions at their dental implant consultation. Here are the best we could remember:

1 – What are your qualifications and training in dental implants?

Often, you can find this information on a dental practice website under the “about our team” page. You can certainly find it on ours here. Nevertheless, it is good to ask and also discuss any further questions you may have about your dentist’s training and experience.

Dental Implant dentistry is not taught extensively at the undergraduate level and definitely it is not within the treatment that a dentist is allowed to provide without completing some postgraduate training. So, it is good to know that your dentist has carried out postgraduate training in the placing of dental implants. That training can be a short course of a few days (which in our experience, is not sufficient enough to provide the necessary skill and expertise to safely carry out dental implant treatments), a longer course of several days over a period of time, normally a year (which can give a dentist a good base to be competent to carry out simple dental implant treatments), to maybe an academic one like a postgraduate diploma or a Master’s degree (this does not mean they become ‘implantologists’ – read our blog Beware of the Masters on this matter).

Maybe the most important aspect of any surgical training is for the trainee to have a good mentor who can guide them through the difficulties of mastering their skills and help them deal with complications and problems. Continuous professional development in the field of dental implants is also important. I know this very well here at Bridgeways Dental in Southampton, as we dedicate hundreds of hours on training every year. I am very honoured to have been trained and mentored by dedicated, renowned and patient surgeons throughout my career, and it is only down to their guidance that I have become the clinician that I am today.

2 – Can you provide testimonials from previous dental patients?

Today, most of the testimonials from dental patients already treated in a practice can be found online, on their website, on Google, Trustpilot or on social media.

At Bridgeways Dental in Southampton, we are lucky enough to have treated patients that not only have given us excellent feedback but are also happy to speak to other patients that maybe considering similar dental treatments. These are our ambassador dental patients and if you wish to talk to them, just ask.

3 – Are you affiliated with any professional organisations?

Being a member of one or more professional organisations such as academies, institutions, and associations (other than unions) and participating in their scientific events allows dentists to be at the forefront of scientific evolution and have relationships with like-minded healthcare professionals and therefore access assistance when needed. This has a profound impact on the care of patients as well.

The affiliations of our clinicians here at Bridgeways Dental in Southampton, are published here.

4 – How do you handle complications or failures with dental implants?

This is a tricky question as with proper planning and meticulous execution, implant dentistry is generally very reliable with rare complications. Nevertheless, failures and mishaps can still happen and having a positive attitude, experience and good access to other colleagues is of paramount importance in the resolution of such unfortunate issues.

We are proud to belong to a group of highly committed clinicians and dental professionals who invest seriously in achieving the best possible outcomes with the least complications. Both myself and Stavros have a special interest in dealing with failing dental implants and advanced dental procedures.

I really hope that these questions will help you to build a good relationship with your implant dentist and the answers to them allow you to trust them with your dental treatment.

If you would like to arrange a consultation for dental implants at Bridgeways Dental in Southampton, please contact us on 02380 868833, or email info@bridgeways.dental.