Guidelines for choosing a Dental Implants Expert

In dentistry, the term "specialist" refers to clinicians who have undertaken a higher degree and obtained qualifications in a specific, restricted area of practice. These areas include:

• Orthodontics (braces and alignment)
• Endodontics (root canal treatments)
• Prosthodontics (crowns, bridges, and dentures)
• Oral Surgery (wisdom teeth extractions and other mouth surgeries)
• Maxillofacial Surgery (orthognathic and reconstructive surgery)
• Periodontics (gum disease treatment)
• Paedodontics (children's dentistry)
• Oral Medicine (TMJ disorders and mouth pathology)

While these areas of practice are recognised as dental specialties, it is important to note that dental implants, including advanced full-arch procedures such as All-On-4 Plus®, are not a registrable specialty in dentistry.

To provide dental implant treatments, clinicians—whether general dentists or specialists—must undertake rigorous post-graduate education. However, formal courses alone are not sufficient. Training should also include private residency programs and mentorship from experienced practitioners. This hands-on experience is critical for developing the knowledge, skills, and confidence needed to perform complex procedures, such as All-On-4 Plus®.

A dentist's primary focus on other areas of dentistry may limit their exposure to dental implant procedures. Without repeated experience, clinicians may struggle to acquire and maintain the expertise needed for advanced implant treatments, such as those involving All-On-4 Plus®. Patients should look for providers with a demonstrated commitment to ongoing education and practical experience in implant dentistry to ensure high-quality outcomes.

Written by Dr Alex Fibishenko, the creator of the All-On-4 Plus® Dental Implant Solution, this article explores the benefits and risks of dental implants based on his 25 years of experience and the successful placement of thousands of implants.

Surgical experience with dental implants can be a path to excellence, but it can also be a dangerous weakness due to reinforcement of poor techniques for surgeons who have not followed an appropriate trajectory in their training, and as such lack the requisite insight.

Be mindful that clinicians would often post pictures of their best cases. Therefore you should look very closely to critically assess what they post so as to ensure that their best aesthetic standards match with your own expectations. Not every person has an aesthetic eye, and this also extends to dentists.

Beware of clinics offering twilight sedation procedures for All-On-4 dental implants.

Ask to see pictures not only of the smile, but also of the bridge itself and what it looks like inside the mouth after treatment, as well as x-rays.

All-On-4 Plus® involves the fitting of a bridge immediately or within 48 hours from the operation, but the cost of treatment can vary greatly depending on the kind of bridge that is fitted:

Patients often gain trust in a procedure when a warranty is offered, which is often to do with the hardware components or the material from which the teeth are made.