How to start a dental Implant practice
With more and more people looking for a fixed solution, it is inevitable that dental practices are moving to more of a dental implant based practice. The technology and understanding around dental implants have come a long way today and almost every case can be rehabilitated with some version of dental implants. Thus it is important for clinicians to acquaint themselves in the field of dental implantology and establish it as a firm treatment alternative. The question is how? In this article we will try to decode these popular questions.
- Adequate Education on Dental Implantology:
- Appropriate Armamentarium: It goes without saying that something as technique sensitive as dental implants requires the right armamentarium. It is easier to overlook simple things like proper tool set up. While preferences are likely to vary between practitioners, especially as experience increases, a basic understanding of the requisite instruments, materials, and framework is necessary. To begin with, you need:
- A basic set up of dental mirrors, cotton pliers, a plastic or metal periodontal probe, a hemostat and suction holder, surgical scissors, retractors and scalpels.
- Drill kits that are arranged in surgical sequence. If multiple kits are required for the procedure, it should be ensured that they are available promptly.
- Surgical Handpiece and Motor with sterile saline irrigation.
- Anesthetic and Suturing Materials.
- Diagnostic investments: One of the best diagnostic investments you can make to establish your dental implant practice is investing in an in-house Cone Beam Computed Tomography machine. This will help you in accurate diagnosis, treatment planning and review, giving you an edge over your peers.
- Continuing dental education on dental implants: It is necessary to keep updating yourself with the latest developments in the field. As technology advances, our understanding of the human body and how to treat it better improves as well. Various tools emerge over time that facilitates the same. Attending lectures, training sessions and workshops by leaders in such fields ensure that you deliver the best treatment possible to your patients.
- Understanding dental softwares: Today, almost all aspects of dental implant planning can be done remotely. From selecting the size and position of the implants to fabricating guides, to even designing the abutment and crown, implant treatment and planning can be at your fingertips. With the understanding of dental softwares like BlueSkybio, Nobel DTX Studio, ExoCAD and more, you can deliver predictable results to your patients.
- Maintaining records: It is essential to keep a thorough dental and medical record of all your patients, which includes all the work that he has had done at your centre. Transferability of cases between specialists, without confusion or ambiguity is essential in streamlining treatment as well as preventing any emergencies.
- Hygiene and emergency protocol: This goes without saying for any healthcare setup. It is mandatory to have a stringent hygiene and emergency protocol in place. The success of dental implants largely depends on the sanitation that is maintained during the surgical procedure. Introduction of iatrogenic infection will almost always lead to a failure, with a complicated management protocol.
Since dental implants is a surgical procedure, the minor OT should be equipped with necessary emergency medication, an oxygen tank, anti-coagulation devices and any other monitoring devices necessary. Emergency services should be tied with the nearest hospital.
- Management of implant failures:
The first thing to do in this scenario is : NOT PANIC. Concentrate on relieving the pain, if any, at the immediate appointment and then look for tentative causes and definitive solutions. It is important to adhere to the above mentioned points to prevent the possibility of an implant failure. In case it happens, it is important to adequately educate yourself on the management beforehand.
It is important to take into consideration all the above mentioned factors to establish a successful implant practice. However, there are many things that you will learn on the go. One just has to be brave, tenacious and willing to keep learning and growing.
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