Written by DTC Miami
Created 03/26/2018
Being knowledgeable and having the skill set regarding implantology is crucial in today’s dental field. With all the advancements occurring, it is vital to comprehend implantology, and maintain yourself cultivated in the field of implantology. As a professional in the scientific field, dentists face the never-ending innovations of dentistry.
For instance, dentistry is not the same as it was two decades ago. According to an article from Dentistryiq, “The global dental equipment market is predicted to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 5.7% between 2014 and 2019…” (1). Dentists all over the globe will be partaking in technological advancements, but they must be experts in using the new available equipments. Due to these rapid innovations, dentists must remain up-to-date to maintain standard of care, professional development, and preserve private practice success. Besides the technological importance in implantology, why should dentists comprehend implants? It is understandable if some dentists do not want to do oral surgery procedures, however, they must be erudite in implantology in order to restore patients. Every dentist has their preference on how they work and what they work with.
Nonetheless, imagine a patient comes into your office who needs restoration on their implants, you don’t want to have to refer them over to the next door office who does oral surgery and implantology. You can be the dentist who restores the patient. In an article from Dental Economics, Louis Malcmacher, DDS, MAGD, states that “every dentist can and should be an implant dentist….Don’t let [anything]… hold you back from pursuing training.”(2). For this very reason, DTC Miami offers courses regarding implantology and oral surgery. According to Dr. Gian-Grasso, president of the Academy of Osseointegration, “Implant company projections indicate that by 2017… 60% of implants will be placed by generalists and 40% will be placed by specialists.” (3). Therefore, it is important to get adequate education regarding implantology. More and more general dentists are placing implants. Since that is the case, general dentists must get a solid and well-founded education about implants, implantology, oral surgery and implant systems. Even if a dentist does not want to perform the complex procedures of oral surgery, the dentist will want to be aware and well-informed about implants in order to restore the patient. Both the general dentist and the oral surgeon need to be able to communicate effectively to address the patient’s needs and wants.
All in all, dentists should seek a learning experience about implantology for their professional development, the patients’ standard of care, the communication amongst their peers and because of the rapid growth of implants in dentistry.