3 mistakes not to make in your team approach to dental implants

You know your job is to provide an outcome superior in function, as well as form for your patient’s implant treatment. Providing this superior outcome requires a collaborative effort with all the members of the larger dental team. Using a team approach to implant dentistry is essential to optimizing treatment outcomes for your patients.

Your team dynamic also facilitates the best outcome. As part of the new “You Ask! The Experts” webinar series for the Academy of Osseointegration (AO), implant experts Dr. Sonia Leziy and Dr. Brahm Miller shared their expertise about how these teams work best.

Infographic: Dental implants by the numbers

When you are forming your team for an implant case, be sure not to make these three mistakes in your process:

Mistake #1: Bringing in team members after the planning phase.

Include all involved parties in the treatment-planning phase, from the patient to the technician to the other specialists involved in the planning for procedures. Anticipating all the specifics from the start affords implant position accuracy and effective treatment with minimal hassles for the patient and team.

Webinar: How dental implant planning helped one dentist

Mistake #2: Forgetting to assert your needs clearly for the treatment plan.

Communicate your detailed needs to create the best outcome for the implant. Comprehensive communication eliminates some problems with aesthetic outcomes. Be as specific as possible, including the following points:

· Make clear what provides the best foundation for your treatment (i.e., soft tissue volume and restoration strategies).

· Encourage the other specialists to provide the proper working base to create a better aesthetic outcome, an important concern when you consider side-by-side implant cases with soft tissue challenges.

· Include accurate impressions fostered best by a digital workflow.

RELATED: How you can raise your dental implant IQ

Mistake #3: Allowing for unnecessary delays in treatment progress.

Immediate implant placement is the best-case scenario for many cases, so it is your job to keep a sense of urgency to the surgical strategy. With the exception of cases where bone deficiency is already too severe, most implants have the best outcome with an immediate placement protocol because this is when you have the most bone available.

Implant dentistry is an art as well as a science. Clinicians use their experience and knowledge to create a successful outcome for patients. There are, however, many variables impacting a successful outcome-and you as the clinician don’t control all of them. By involving the other members of your team from the outset, communicating what you need to provide the best implant treatment, and asserting for an immediate implant placement, you can use this team approach to create the best outcome for your patients for both form and function.

Editor's Note: Image via Getty Images

Note: Members of the AO can download the webinar for free. Simply use your member login to the AO website and select the webinar to download to your device. Non-members may access it for a $50 fee. AO is an ADA CERP Recognized Provider and designates the completion of this webinar activity for one-hour continuing education credit.

Register now for the next AO webinar titled “Guided Surgery: Heaven or Hell?” with Dr. Jaime Lozada, which will be presented on June 24, 2015.  

About the Academy of Osseointegration

With 6,000 members in 70 countries around the world, the AO is recognized as the premier international association for professionals interested in implant dentistry. AO serves as a nexus where specialists and generalists can come together to evaluate emerging research, technology, and techniques; share best information; and coordinate optimal patient care using timely, evidence-based science and methods. Follow AO on Facebook and Twitter.