Can my family dentist work with Implants?
As I discussed in a previous article, every dentist with a license can legally work with implants, but unfortunately, there is very little training in dental school about implants. Implant dentistry is THE most rapidly changing discipline in the field of tooth replacement. Dental school does a great job in teaching dentists how to clean, fill, and make minor repairs to teeth. Implant dentistry is discussed but there are so many details for implant success and predictability that it is impossible to gain a lot of knowledge or experience with implants during the typical 4 years of dental school. The only way to learn and stay on top of implant success is for a dental professional to seek the highest levels of implant knowledge and research.
Does it matter how much time a dentist devotes to Implants in his or her practice?
YES, it does. Most dentists spend most of their time performing basic dentistry such as root canals, extractions, fillings, etc and have very little time left over for advanced procedures such as implants. Even though they work with implants, they are so involved with other procedures that they cannot devote much time to implant dentistry. Our philosophy is different. While we do provide some basic dentistry, we actually spend most of our time on advanced dental procedures such as implants (simple or complex), dental reconstructions, and revisions of previous dental work to improve or correct the appearance of comfort for the patient.
What type of Continuing Education is recommended for Implant success?
The state of Virginia requires 15 hours of continuing education, in any dental topic, per year. However, I believe 15 hours is not nearly enough to provide the best results with advanced solutions. In comparison, I have chosen to seek out the best knowledge available. I average over 100 hours per year, of which at least 50 hours per year are devoted to studying implant dentistry at the highest level.
Being able to provide modern solutions is an important goal at Harper Dental Care. In fact, it is so important that we have a devoted Education Center in our office. We use the Harper Dental Education Center to meet with our team and meet with other specialists (periodontists, periodontal surgeons, implant surgeons, orthodontists, oral surgeons) about our patients’ cases. The more we discuss and apply our up-to-date knowledge, the better the results. Click here to see patient testimonials.
When you are ready to replace teeth with implants, and achieve high predictability using a proven system and the most current knowledge, give us a call!
Or, if you need help with implants that you currently have, we are here for you!
757-868-8152
Harperdentalcare.com