When you lose one or more of your tooth, it can affect a lot more than your biting strength. Teeth loss has a way of undermining your confidence so that you no longer talk or smile often in public, and this can affect your social life significantly. Thankfully, there are different tooth replacement procedures for situations like these.

Whether you want to replace just one tooth or an entire arch, choosing dental implants is a big decision. A brand new set of teeth can do a lot for your biting strength, self-confidence, and can prevent bone resorption.

However, it is not enough to consider dental implant procedure, it is also as important to choose the right dental implant specialist.

This may seem like a straightforward business, but with a large number of dental implant specialists in New Zealand, choosing the right company for dental implants can be a debacle.

To help make your choice easier, here are a number of factors to consider when choosing a dental implant specialist.

Consider qualifications

While you may talk to your family doctor about dental issues you are facing in order to get professional advice, this is not someone that can handle your dental problems.

One of the most important things you should look for when considering dental implant specialist is their qualifications.

Just like every other field of medicine, a dental implant specialist needs the right set of qualifications in order to practice, and gaining the necessary qualifications needed to carry out such a complex procedure requires years of special training.

A good idea is to consider dentists with the relevant degrees from recognized universities. Such a degree will ensure that your dentist has been trained by some of the best people in the world and that they have acquired the skills needed to carry out the procedure.

Consider the length of experience

We have already established that your dental implant specialist requires certain qualifications in order to carry out a dental implant procedure, but does this mean that you can submit yourself to an obvious novice who has the right qualifications?

Dental implant procedures is an invasive process that takes years of practice to master, so while qualifications are extremely important, the experience is also.

While no two dental implants cases are the same, a well-experienced prosthodontist will have done hundreds of this procedure throughout their career and know what to expect and how to handle anything that may come up.

When you choose a properly qualified and well-experienced specialist, you will have peace of mind throughout the procedure knowing that your implant specialist knows exactly what they are doing, no matter what happens during your surgery.

Consider cost

While cost should not exactly be your deciding factor when choosing a dental implant specialist, it does play a vital role in your decision-making process.

However, it is important to point out that when it comes to dental implants, cheaper may mean more problems. For example, there are stories of people travelling to foreign countries for dental care and implant procedures, but end up coming back in pain and tears.

Almost all the adverts you see on the internet offering cheap dental services in foreign countries, while attractive, may end up costing you more eventually. The truth is that these practitioners don’t have the same level of regulatory standards as you will find here, and they tend to use low-quality implants that will fail after a few years.

While it is important to consider your budget when planning for a dental procedure, make sure you are putting your hard-earned money in an investment that will last a lifetime.

Consider types of treatments offered

Not every dentist offer the same type of treatments or services. For this reason, before committing to a dentist, you need to be certain that the practice offers the type of treatment you require.

For example, you may see an advert for the widely successful all-on-four dental implant treatment, but not all dentists can perform this procedure. When you sign up for treatment, they may offer you similar alternatives, but if a particular procedure is what you want, then you should take the time to find the right practice that offers this treatment.

Dental Technologies

Even though dental implants have been around for quite a while, advancements in technology have made the process seamless and more effective.

These days, technological developments such as digital imaging, 3D software, computer tomography, and restoration machines improve the treatment process and enhance the patient experience.

Before committing to a particular dentist, you need to find out if he or she is investing in these new technologies or if they are reluctant to spend money in buying new equipment like CAD machines and dental lasers that would help in their work.

A practice that has cutting edge technologies will be able to provide better treatments and enjoy a higher rate of success; however, they tend to charge a bit more than others that offer more traditional forms of dental treatments.

Consider comfort

Studies have shown that while dental implants are relatively painless, the anticipation and nervousness of patients make them feel pain and discomfort. In cases like these, it is the job of dental implant specialists to make their patients calm and comfortable.

If you are an anxious patient, you need a specialist that can handle your situation in a professional manner, so that you can be calm throughout your treatment. This does not only mean pre-medication like nitrous oxide but dentist personality and bedside manners.

Some facilities even go as far as offering cool music, massages and aromatherapy to help during surgery.

If you are a nervous or anxious patient, find out about patient comforts before getting involved with any dental practice.

Consider accessibility

The closer you are to your dentist, the better it is. However, this is not a fixed rule of thumb. The key is to find a dentist that makes you comfortable regardless of distance, but it makes a lot of sense to check in and around your locality first.

That said, you should also consider your unique situation when choosing a dental implant specialist. For example, if you are an older adult, you may not want to go long distances for routine checkups and such. This is where a nearby dentist comes in handy. However, it defeats the purpose if a dentist is close-by but does not fit all the factors in this article.

Wrapping up

A dental implant procedure is a relatively painless, though mini-invasive surgery, and so you need the right person to make a success out of it. Hopefully, the factors covered in this article will help you make a good choice when you or someone you know is in need of dental implants.