How to Introduce Dental Implants in Our Daily Practice

The inclusion of dental implant surgery in your dental practice can provide a significant boost to your income. A costly procedure that used to be referred to a periodontist or oral surgeon can be provided in-house. This not only provides additional income to a practice, but is a good service to patients. A well-trained clinician and an educated staff can make the addition of implants to your practice smooth and trouble-free.

Things You'll Need

• Certification, licensing or both for the doctor or specialists
• Treatment coordinator trained in explaining implants
• Implant vendor or manufacturer
• Disclosure statement

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Instructions

Determine Demand

• 1

  Assess your practice to determine whether introducing dental implants is warranted. Look into the demographics of your area. Find out how many periodontists in your area offer implants, and how many oral surgeons are within your local market.

• 2

  Determine whether you will have one to three implant patients per week, or four or more implant patients per week. Send a general practitioner for certification and continuing education if you expect three or fewer implant candidates per week. Hire a periodontist or oral surgeon to provide implants if you expect four or more cases per week.

• 3

  Decide whether the general dentist will provide the prosthetic crown or you will hire a prosthodontist. If you decide on the latter, then also decide whether you will have a prosthodontist in-house or refer the patient to a prosthodontist's office for the crown.

• 4

  Contact and meet with all implant vendors in your area. There are a myriad of implant distributors. The bigger ones, like Lifecore, Zimmer and 3i, will have sales representatives who can visit your practice. Discuss your options and keep track of what they offer; many of these companies will provide discounts as well as ongoing training for dentists.

• 5

  Ask for references from each implant distributor; other providers who use the products will usually be happy to provide feedback. Call the references before making your initial purchase.

Providing Implants

• 6

  Order products and check inventory. All of these products generally have to be ordered, and take up to two weeks to arrive. Make sure you have everything you need to successfully place an implant.

• 7

  Train your treatment coordinator or office manager. Educate the coordinator to be able to explain why the implant is needed, how the procedure works, how long it will take, how much it will cost, and why insurance plans do not generally cover the cost of implants. Encourage your staff to attend training programs with the implant distributor.

• 8

  Create a disclosure form specific to implants stipulating that the patient understands that implants are not covered by insurance (for the most part) and that the patient will be responsible for full payment. Accept full payment at the start of each phase; one payment for the implant, and the balance when the crown is placed on the implant.