If you’re thinking about getting dental implants, you can attend a consultation with your dentist. This appointment is an opportunity for you to ask questions and clarify whether dental implants are an effective solution to restore your smile. Your dentist will also advise on the best type of implant for you, whether that’s fixed full arch implants, upper denture implants, single tooth implants, or another type. Before you show up at your dentist’s office, let’s cover exactly what to expect during your dental implant consultation.
Meet your dental team
Since the process of getting dental implants in Lexington can take several months, it’s important to know and trust your dental team. At your consultation appointment, you’ll have the chance to meet front office staff and your dentist, prosthodontist, and oral surgeon, if applicable. Together, this team of professionals will be responsible for your care and can answer any questions that arise.
Discuss your goals
People get dental implants for a number of reasons, whether that’s to restore smile confidence, make eating or chewing easier, or lessen the risk of bone deterioration. Whatever your goals are, functional or aesthetic, the consultation is the perfect time to discuss them to make sure your treatment plan meets your goals.
Undergo various teeth assessments
The primary goal of a dental implant consultation is to determine if you’re a good candidate for implants. To determine this, your dental team will assess your smile in various ways, leveraging methods like:
- X-rays
- Intra-oral scans
- Thorough assessments of teeth, gums, bone structure, gum tissues, and bite
Following these assessments, your team can begin to create a treatment plan that has the highest likelihood of success for your unique oral health and dental structure.
Review necessary pre-implant procedures
After your assessments are complete and your dental team reviews your current oral health, they may make recommendations for pre-implant procedures, such as:
- Tooth extractions
- Bone grafting
- Sinus lift
- Gum disease treatment
If you need to have one or more of these procedures done, you likely can’t move forward with dental implants until your mouth has healed completely.
Create a treatment plan
Based on the results of your assessments, your needs, and your budget, your dental team will put together a treatment plan. In it, they’ll outline important details like the type of implant (single, multiple, implant-supported bridge, or implant-supported denture), number of implants, implant materials, pre-implant procedures, and fees.
Map out the overall dental implant timeframe
For many patients, the dental implant process can last from two to four months, depending on individual circumstances like pre-implant procedures, healing time, and other factors. At your consultation appointment, your dental team can estimate how long your dental implants might take from your initial appointment to the day you walk out of the office with your new smile.
Even advanced implant procedures, like one-day dental implants, can take place over a period of months due to healing, so it’s important to understand the end-to-end timeframe and set expectations accordingly.
Discuss costs and financing options
An important part of the consultation appointment is discussing the cost of dental implants. Your care team can estimate the all-in cost of implants and then review financing options. These financing methods might include using your dental insurance or looking at third-party financing. Before you officially sign on to receive dental implants, you’ll need to confirm the payment plan and commit to paying the amount owed.
Schedule your appointments
If you decide to accept the treatment plan as outlined by your dental team, you’ll begin to schedule your next appointments. These may include additional consultation sessions to discuss pre-implant procedures or scheduling your dental implant surgery. Your dental team will work with you to understand the next steps for these appointments, including details like if you’ll need someone to drive you home after so you can plan accordingly.
The bottom line
There are many things that happen during a dental implant consultation, but the most important purpose is to put you at ease with the procedure and outline important details, like getting to know the team that will be escorting you on the journey, the cost of dental implants, and available financing options. If you’re not comfortable with the idea of dental implants as you leave the consultation, it’s important to ask your dental team for another appointment so you can get all your questions answered.
