12 questions to ask before you book an implant consultation
The four that matter most: how many implants do you place a year, which implant system do you use, will I get a CBCT scan and an itemised written plan, and what happens — and what does it cost me — if it fails? A practice that answers those four directly will answer the rest well.
You are about to spend the price of a used car on a procedure you cannot evaluate yourself. These are the questions that reliably distinguish practices, along with what a good answer sounds like — because the answer matters more than the fact of asking.
About the dentist
1. How many implants do you place in a year?
Good answer: a specific number, over about fifty. Concerning: vagueness, or "we do a lot". Implant placement has a well-documented learning curve; volume is the single best available proxy for competence, and it is the one thing a practice can state precisely.
2. What is your training in implant dentistry?
A periodontics or oral surgery residency is the strongest answer. A structured multi-year implant programme, or Fellowship or Diplomate status with a recognised academy, is a good one. A weekend course is not, on its own, sufficient for anything but the simplest site.
3. Who does which part?
In many practices a surgeon places the fixture and a restorative dentist makes the crown. That is entirely normal and often ideal. What you want to know is who is accountable if the two parts do not work together — the answer should be a person, not a shrug.
About the plan
4. Will I have a CBCT scan before treatment is planned?
The answer must be yes. A 2D X-ray cannot show bone width, and placing an implant without that information is guessing at the dimension that decides whether a graft is needed and whether the nerve is at risk.
5. Can I have an itemised written treatment plan before any deposit?
Also yes, without hesitation. Every practice in this directory agrees to provide one as a condition of listing. A number without line items cannot be compared to anything.
6. Does the quote include the abutment and the crown?
The most common source of a quote that grows. If the answer is no, ask for those figures now — they typically add $1,400 to $2,200.
7. Do I need a bone graft, and how confident are you?
A good answer distinguishes what is certain from what will only be known once the site is opened, and prices both. "We will know when we get in there" is acceptable as long as it comes with a number attached.
About the materials
8. Which implant system, and will parts still be available in fifteen years?
Straumann, Nobel Biocare, Astra, Zimmer and a handful of others have decades of data and guaranteed parts. If your abutment fractures in 2041, someone needs to be able to order another. A practice that cannot name its system is a bad sign.
9. Where is the crown made?
A named local lab with a remake policy is the answer you want. "We use a lab" is not an answer.
About what happens afterwards
10. What is your failure rate, and what happens if mine fails?
11. What follow-up is included, and what does maintenance cost?
Ask which review appointments are in the fee and which are billed. Ask what an implant maintenance cleaning costs — it is usually slightly more than a standard hygiene visit because different instruments are required.
12. Can I see cases you have treated yourself?
Not stock photography, not manufacturer marketing images — their own before-and-after records, ideally of a case resembling yours. Any practice doing volume has these.
Two things to bring with you
- Your medical history and a current list of medications. Bisphosphonates, blood thinners, immunosuppressants and uncontrolled diabetes all change implant planning materially, and finding out on the day of surgery is the wrong time.
- Any previous X-rays or scans. You are entitled to copies from a former practice, and it may save you a scan fee.
Common questions
How many implants should a dentist place a year?
Over about fifty is a reasonable threshold for routine cases. Under twenty, consider someone with more volume, particularly for a complex site.
Should I see a specialist or a general dentist?
For a straightforward single implant in good bone, an experienced general dentist gets the same result. For a compromised site — thin bone, sinus proximity, a previous failure — a periodontist or oral surgeon is worth the 15–30% premium.
Is a free implant consultation a red flag?
Not in itself; it is a common and reasonable marketing offer. What matters is whether the free visit produces a real plan based on a scan, or a sales pitch with the diagnostics charged later.
How many consultations should I get?
Two, for anything over about $4,000. Take the itemised plan from the first to the second and ask them to price the same treatment.
