Patients don’t just ask about the price or the timeline—they ask who should do the work. It’s a fair question, because training and day-to-day focus matter. If you’ve wondered which type of dentist performs dental implants, the honest answer is that several dental specialties can place or restore them, and the best choice depends on your mouth, not a title alone. At Sunshine Dentistry in Richmond Hill, Ontario, we start with diagnosis, map the plan, and then match the clinician to the job—sometimes one expert, often a small team. The aim is simple: predictable surgery, a crown that fits your bite, and a result that lasts.
Which Type of Dentist Performs Dental Implants: The Short Answer
Oral and maxillofacial surgeons, periodontists, prosthodontists, and general dentists with advanced implant training all place implants. Many general dentists also restore them with the final crown or bridge. The “right” provider is the one whose routine caseload matches your needs—single tooth vs. full-arch, simple socket vs. grafted site, straightforward bite vs. complex wear. In other words, which type of dentist performs dental implants is really a question about case complexity and experience.
Training and Scope: Who Does What
Titles help, but role clarity helps more. Here’s how responsibilities commonly divide, with plenty of overlap:
- Oral & Maxillofacial Surgeons: Hospital-level surgical training. Ideal for impacted roots, nerve-adjacent sites, sinus lifts, major grafting, and full-arch reconstructions.
- Periodontists: Specialists in bone and gum health. Strong choice for ridge preservation, soft-tissue grafting, and esthetic zone implants where gum contours matter.
- Prosthodontists: Experts in complex bite design and multi-tooth reconstructions. Often quarterback comprehensive cases; may place implants or collaborate with a surgeon/periodontist.
- General Dentists with Advanced Training: Place straightforward implants and commonly deliver the final crowns/bridges. Many manage single-tooth cases end-to-end.
Good care isn’t about drawing hard borders; it’s about matching skills to the specifics of your mouth.
Case Complexity: How We Decide Who Should Place the Implant
Some sites are simple. Others are not. A healed lower molar with plenty of bone is a different project than a front tooth lost recently with thin gum tissue. When we plan your case at Sunshine Dentistry, we look at three questions:
- Bone and Soft Tissue: Is there enough volume and quality, or do we need grafting first?
- Anatomy and Risk: How close are sinuses or nerves? Do we need guided surgery for millimetre-level precision?
- Bite and Aesthetics: Will your bite overload the implant? Do we need a specialist to sculpt gum contours for a seamless smile?
If the answers are low-risk and straightforward, a general dentist with the right training may be perfect. If surgical demands or esthetic stakes are high, we bring in a surgeon or periodontist. That’s how which type of dentist performs dental implants becomes a patient-specific decision—not a guess.
Planning Steps That Matter More Than the Label
The best outcomes are built long before surgery day:
- 3D CBCT Imaging: We study nerve/sinus positions, bone width, and angulation so the implant goes where the final crown should be—not the other way around.
- Medical and Bite Review: Diabetes control, medications, clenching habits, and jaw posture all change risk and design.
- Provisional Strategy: If a front tooth is involved, we plan how you’ll look during healing—resin provisional, flipper, or immediate temporary crown when appropriate.
- Restoration-First Thinking: We design the crown shape and position first, then place the implant to support that ideal. Form follows function; both follow planning.
Ask any clinic to walk you through these steps. If you get clear answers with images, you’re in good hands.
Which Type of Dentist Performs Dental Implants: Choosing a Provider Without Guesswork
You don’t need a crash course in surgical textbooks. You need signs you can trust:
- Experience With Your Case Type: “How many of these (single front tooth/sinus lift / full-arch) cases do you complete each year?”
- Photographs and Outcomes: Before/after images that match your situation, not just best-of reels.
- Itemized Plan: Assessment → surgery → provisional → final crown/bridge → follow-ups, with timelines and costs spelled out.
- Team Approach When Needed: Easy hand-offs between planner, surgeon/periodontist, and restoring dentist. Same language, same plan.
- Maintenance Protocol: Nightguard if you clench, hygiene intervals, and what success looks like at one, three, and five years.
If a provider answers these plainly, the title matters less—you’ll get a predictable result either way.
How Sunshine Dentistry Coordinates Implant Care
Our role is to make the path obvious. We assess, share the 3D scan, and explain options with trade-offs you can understand. Straightforward single-tooth cases may be done entirely in-house. Complex grafting, delicate esthetic zones, or full-arch reconstructions? We coordinate with trusted specialists and still guide the sequence so nothing gets lost between offices. The outcome: one plan, one set of expectations, and a smile that functions in real life—not just in photos.
Common Reasons Implants Need Extra Expertise
Some mouths ask for more than routine:
- Thin front-tooth bone or high gum line where a millimetre of error shows.
- Past extractions with ridge collapse, calling for staged grafting before placement.
- Aggressive bruxism needs occlusal design, protective nightguards, and tougher materials.
- Full-arch cases where bite, speech, and facial support all change at once.
For these, the “team” part of which type of dentist performs dental implants typically wins—specialists plus a restoring dentist planning together.
Recovery and Follow-Up: Who Sees You When?
After placement, we see you for soft-tissue checks and cleaning guidance; the surgeon/periodontist reviews healing and integration; then we restore with the final abutment and crown once the bone says yes. It’s staged on purpose. This is how day-one precision turns into year-five stability.
Conclusion
Titles tell part of the story. Your anatomy, bite forces, and esthetic goals tell the rest. If you’re deciding which type of dentist performs dental implants for you, start with planning: a 3D scan, a restoration-first design, and a provider whose routine matches your case. That’s how you trade uncertainty for a clear path—and a result that lasts.
Ready to explore your options? Book a consultation with Sunshine Dentistry, Richmond Hill. Bring your questions. We’ll review your scan together, outline choices, and match the right clinician (or team) to your exact needs—before you commit.
FAQs: Which Type of Dentist Performs Dental Implants
Do I always need a specialist to place an implant?
Not always. Straightforward, well-healed sites with good bone are often placed by general dentists with solid implant training. Complex anatomy or esthetic demands favour a surgeon or periodontist.
Who puts the crown on the implant—surgeon or dentist?
Commonly, the restoring dentist (general or prosthodontist) designs and fits the abutment and crown. The surgical specialist places the implant; we coordinate the hand-off so that the crown design and implant position line up.
If I need a bone graft, who should handle it?
Grafts near sinuses, nerves, or in thin front-tooth bone usually suit a surgeon or periodontist. Minor socket preservation at extraction can be done by many trained general dentists.
How long does the implant process take, and who manages each step?
Typical single-tooth timelines run 3–6 months from placement to final crown, longer if staged grafting is needed. We manage planning and the final restoration in-house and, when needed, bring in a surgeon/periodontist for the placement.
