Permanent, implanted-supported dentures offer significant advantages over other common methods of restoring your smile after total tooth loss. They aid in preventing bone loss in the jaw, better preserving oral health and structure, as well as your appearance. They offer a much more natural look and feel than traditional dentures, and they offer better oral function in terms of biting, chewing and speaking. They last for decades – even a lifetime – with proper care, whereas traditional dentures require refitting or replacement every few years. However, maximizing those advantages means knowing how to find the best oral surgeon for permanent dentures.

Look For a Qualified, Board-Certified Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon

Among the most important factors to look into as you choose your provider for permanent dentures is credentials. Implants can be placed by general dentists, but you’re better off choosing a qualified oral and maxillofacial surgeon to handle yours. Dental implant placement is surgery, and while there are plenty of great dentists, oral and maxillofacial surgeons are dentistry’s surgical specialists. As such, they are required to complete much more rigorous education and training in many areas than other dental professionals. While general dentists may learn implant placement in a weekend continuing education course, oral surgeons spend a minimum of 4 years in a hospital-based surgical residency program, acquiring practical, hands-on experience in implant dentistry, as well as a more extensive education on oral and facial anatomy.

Check Into Experience and Past Results

Experience is another very important factor to look into as you choose an oral surgeon for permanent dentures. To ensure the optimal dental restoration results you have in mind, you’ll want to choose an oral and maxillofacial surgeon who has been in practice for decades and has placed thousands of dental implants with great success rates – the best oral surgeons will do better than the average rate of 94 to 95 percent. Along with your inquiries about those success rates, you should ask to see before and after pictures of previous permanent denture restorations. The viewpoint of previous clients can offer insight into the quality of care a surgeon offers, so ask if references from former or current patients are available. Also, look online for patient reviews of the practice, and check the local Better Business Bureau website for patient complaints.

While checking into all these details before you can get started on your dental restoration may seem a bit tedious, it’s very important. Dental implant restoration represents a rather large investment of your time and money, and getting optimal results for that investment depends largely on the skill and experience of your oral surgeon. The bottom line is that dental implant surgery is something you want done right the first time – after all, given the exceptional longevity of implant-based restorations, you’ll be seeing the results in the mirror every day for a good many years to come.