Hi,

My general dentist told me I needed a bone graft before I could get dental implants. After the bone graft healed, he tried to place the implant, but said my bone was still too thin. After all this surgery, he’s now saying I should get a bridge. Would this have happened if I went to a specialist instead? I thought I could trust him because of his experience.

Marcel, from Seattle, Washington

 

Hi Marcel,

Your dentist sounds like he knows he made a mistake. He likely has more experience placing bridges than he does with dental implants, and is trying to give you the best-looking result. If you need work on a single tooth, a bridge is a good option. If you still would like a dental implant, ask him to refer you to a periodontist or oral surgeon with experience in implants.

While this incident would probably not have happened in the hands of a specialist, dental implantology is not a field recognized by the ADA. They do, however, have more advanced training in placing dental implants than general dentists.

Even with experience, a bone graft is a difficult procedure. If your dentist had gone ahead with your implant, your dental implant would have likely failed, which would have cost you even more in the future. So he is trying to do right by you. Dentists are likely to make mistakes as they try new things. It’s up to you to decide if you’d like a dental bridge or to see an implant specialist to continue.

This blog post is brought to you by Baton Rouge dental implant provider, Dr. Ryan Perry.