August 21, 2025
The process of receiving dental implants requires several steps – four to be exact. First, a scheduled visit with your dentist is necessary, as it ensures you are a “good” candidate for treatment. While an oral examination and discussion of your overall health are included, as well as an evaluation of your jawbone density, it may seem as if much of the appointment is spent listening to your dentist talk. However, if you want to make sure you leave with all the important information you need to make the right decision about whether to move forward, consider asking the following three questions during your dental implant consultation.
What Kind of Experience Do You Have with Dental Implant Placement & Restoration?
Asking your dentist about their professional experience is helpful, especially at this early stage. Finding someone with the skill, knowledge, and expertise to perform dental implant placement and restoration is essential. This is your smile, and you shouldn’t feel like you must settle if you are not completely sure of a person’s abilities.
When talking to the dentist, don’t hesitate to inquire about any professional organizations they are a member of and if they have completed any continuing education courses focused on implant dentistry.
The KOIS Center is a prestigious organization that many dentists rely on when it comes to additional training for permanent prosthetics. Also, if the dentist is a member of the International Congress of Oral Implantologists and the American Academy of Implant Dentistry, you’re in good hands.
Is Bone Grafting Necessary to Receive Dental Implants?
Bone grafting is not always required when a person needs dental implants; however, if your dentist suggests it during your initial consultation, it’s probably because your jawbone is not as dense as it should be.
Tooth loss can lead to bone resorption over time, so if you want titanium posts to rebuild your smile’s foundation, your jawbone will need additional material to help make life with dental implants a success.
If bone grafting is recommended, you can expect your treatment timeline to be extended, as you will need to allow for complete recovery before moving on with dental implant surgery.
What Kind of Payment Options Are Available for Dental Implant Treatment?
Establishing your budget is an important step when considering dental implant treatment. As a solution that is more expensive than traditional dentures and dental bridges, your dental insurance may only cover portions of your care.
During your discussion, ask about available payment options to determine what you’ll need to do to determine your budget. If you can use your insurance to help lower the cost of your restoration, preliminary treatments, and consultation, you may want to find out if additional financing or an in-house plan is available.
Many dental offices work closely with financing companies, like Sunbit, Cherry, CareCredit, etc., to help break up the cost into manageable payments.
Your dental implant consultation is just as much about learning what you can expect from the process as it is about making sure you get the answers you need to remain confident in your decision to pursue treatment.
About the Author
Dr. Daniel Lim is the compassionate dentist leading the charge at Impact Dentistry. His commitment to help others and make a positive impact on those he treats each day is what fuels his passion, and it’s why he has spent more than 800 hours pursuing continuing education courses focusing on dental implant surgery and cosmetic dentistry. When patients arrive with missing teeth, he is pleased to provide superior prosthetics like dental implants to enhance and improve their oral health. If you want to learn more about this method of tooth replacement but have questions about the process, contact us at (817) 375-0400 to find out how we can help.