I have been researching dental implants for months and have seen multiple dentists on the subject. I have asked the question of multiple implants dentists, is the lab or the dentist more important? There doesn’t seem to be a consensus here. I assume the skill of the dentist is absolutely important, yet I can see how the laboratory plays an important role too. Would you be able to give me a straight answer?

-Cal in Wyoming

Cal,

Thank you for your question. This is a topic that you won’t likely get a clear answer on because there are conflicting viewpoints and of course, it simply depends who you ask. There are many professionals involved in delivering successful dental implants to the patient. These include the periodontist, oral surgeon and of course the dentist must be highly skilled and experienced. So, again this is a difficult question since there are so many doctors and professionals involved.

If forced to choose, the skill of the dentist is imperative for the outcome. Ultimately he or she, selects the laboratory and the oral surgeon used. That is, unless they provide all of these services in-house. Selecting a highly skilled dentist can increase your success rate by five percent, according to some studies.

There are also so many factors involved in the success of the dental implants. The surgery must be precisely done to avoid complications with vital nerves and in the sinus cavity. The bone must heal properly, as well. The laboratory is responsible largely for the aesthetics. That said, there role does play into how successful the fit will be too.

Another way to look at this question is that no matter how beautiful a restoration as the ceramist makes at the laboratory, if the implant isn’t stable and fails to function properly, then the procedure is a failure. If the dentist chooses a laboratory that does mediocre work, it can be considered a failure as well if you aren’t happy with how it looks.

If someone was to swear one way or the other was more important, they may be looking to point fingers. Finding an implant dentist you can trust and that has a high success rate and successful portfolio of work is what you should be focused on.