Comments on: Dental Implants, Part I: Understanding Fact from Fiction

By: Dental Implants versus Dental Bridges | Helaine Smith DMD

Dental Implants versus Dental Bridges | Helaine Smith DMD — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 13:10:08 +0000

[...] about this article, however, is that Brody re-emphasizes the point I made in an earlier post about choosing dental professionals trained in dental implantology: Just as any physician can legally perform surgery, any dentist can legally do implants. Be sure [...]

By: Dental Tooth Implant Procedure | Boston Dental Implants | Helaine Smith DMD

Sat, 28 Nov 2009 22:14:04 +0000

[...] my last post about dental implants, I discussed the difference in training between general dentists and periodontists as well as how [...]

By: 10 Secrets Dentists Don't Want You to Know | Cosmetic Dentists in Boston | Helaine Smith DMD

Sat, 28 Nov 2009 21:58:10 +0000

[...] to implants. Be sure to read my articles about dental implants to learn why this is so important. Part I: Dental Implants — Understanding Fact from Fiction and Part II: Dental Implants — The [...]

By: helainesmithdmd

helainesmithdmd — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 19:01:55 +0000

Dr. Kazemi,

Thank you for providing superior care to your patients and for stating the fact that doing implants is very tricky and a specialist should be doing it. It helps to have another professional such as yourself agree with me.

And yes, feel free to mention this blog at ddsforums.com.

By: H. Ryan Kazemi, DMD

H. Ryan Kazemi, DMD — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 15:36:10 +0000

Helaine,
well said and I certainly agree. Some of my best experiences in patient treatment has been working with the right team, each offering their best knowledge and expertise to achieve the set goals.

Thank you again for an insightful topic and sharing your experiences. With your permission,I will make a mention of your blog in ddsforums.com (it’s a new online forum for dentists that I am part of).

By: helainesmithdmd

helainesmithdmd — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 11:46:25 +0000

Michael,

Yes I agree, just because you are a specialist does not mean you can do it all either. Not all periodontists are trained with the modern techniques and or are as tunedwith esthetics.

Some are very focused on gum tissue only. I have been lucky where my periodontist is skilled with both areas, bone and ridge augmentation and perio plastics of the soft tissue. It is important to have a good team and if you need an oral surgeon to help enhance the outcome of the case then do it. It is knowing our own limitations and being humble enough to use other skilled specialists.

By: Michael

Michael — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 05:58:59 +0000

I would have to say that I agree with you. I am an experienced general dentists and have taken many continuing education courses on dental implants (including surgical) with the initial intent on placing my own. However, I now have a very healthy respect for the overall surgical aspects of the treatment and would not even consider placing my own implants.
I have to disagree with you on one point…not all periodontists are experienced with the overall aspects of bone grafting as are most oral surgeons. With over 85% of tooth lost resulting in bone loss, most patients need some form of bone graft to get the best result. Most of the periodontists that I have worked with tend to perform tissue grafts to try to fix these bone defects. This is like trying to put a thicker rug to conceal a hole in the floor. I have worked with both periodontists and oral surgeons over the past 10 years and personally see better results from my oral surgeon.

By: H. Ryan Kazemi, DMD

H. Ryan Kazemi, DMD — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 02:38:10 +0000

Thank you for the insightful article. Dental Implants’ 98%+ success that we currently see is largely attributed to highly trained specialists performing the surgery along with greater understanding of its biology, healing, and bone / soft tissue manipulation. There is also great collaboration between surgeons and restorative dentists which also improves results and ultimate success. I think it is more important than ever before for patients to be engaged in their treatment and choosing the right team of dentists for their care. Some implant companies, in interest of increasing their sales, are conducting ‘weekend courses’ to push general dentists to perform such surgeries. And this can become a problem in the future. I am already seeing an increase in implant failures and this may be a response to this trend. I recently placed an article that complements this posting and discusses this issue in more detail : http://tinyurl.com/m9olmh

I will add that contemporary oral surgeons also receive extended training as do periodontists, and both specialties are equally qualified and great collaborators in the field of implant surgery and its continued growth and success.