Over 500,000 people get dental implants in the US annually, undergoing a major surgery that can positively transform their lives. Since this surgery has major implications on the look and function of their mouth, patients in Lexington, as anywhere else, needs a high degree of confidence in the dentist that performs the dental implant surgery. If that confidence and trust cannot be established, a patient should consider getting a second opinion for their dental implant surgery.
Often patients are referred do a dental implant specialist, like the periodontists at Concord Lexington Periodontics, by their dentist. This act of being referred by someone who you already trust with your teeth for other dental services, provides some confidence in the dental implant specialist’s work. But there are many patients who look for their own periodontist without being referred by another dentist, meaning that trust and confidence need to be established from scratch. Additionally, for some patients, being referred by their general dentist might not be enough to provide the confidence needed to get dental implants. For these patients a second opinion might be the right answer.
Here are some reasons why anyone looking for dental implants in Lexington, MA may choose to get a second opinion:
- Personality mismatch – A patient that goes to a periodontist for dental implants doesn’t just have to deal with them once, but rather multiple times for various stages of surgery and follow up. If there is a personality mismatch, a patient can find another periodontist with similar training and expertise that has a personality that matches their’s more.
- Lack of transparency – No periodontist should be expected to quote a patient the cost of dental implant surgery without being seen for an initial dental implant consultation. In fact, if a dentist provides a quote without first seeing the situation in the mouth, that should be a red flag. Once the consultation has taken place, however, a patient should expect transparency in cost and what treatment will entail. If a dentist fails to answer a patient’s questions adequately it could lead to the patient wanting a second opinion on their dental implants.
- Poor online reputation – If a periodontist has a poor reputation online, or no reputation online, that could give patients pause, even if they’ve been referred by their own general dentist. After all, a patient can always find a well rated periodontist such as Concord Lexington Periodontics that can offer the same treatment but with the confidence of knowing others have had a good experience at the practice as well.
- Cost of dental implant surgery – As with anything else, you get what you pay for with dental implants. It’s understandable though if the cost of dental implants can give a patient pause. If the cost seems high it’s worth getting a second opinion just to make sure that the price is in line with other periodontists charge. You may find that another periodontist offers payment options that make dental implant treatment more affordable like at Concord Lexington Periodontics.
- Poor patient experience – If the periodontist’s office seems disorganized or the experience with the office staff isn’t pleasant it could lead a patient to seek a second opinion. If an office seems disorganized it might raise questions about if issues might arise later if the staff forget to do something. If the staff are not pleasant it doesn’t just sour the current experience, but also raise doubt about if you want to deal with the staff if questions arise in the future.
If you live in the Lexington, MA area and are looking for a second opinion for your dental implant surgery, Concord Lexington Periodontics welcomes you to set up a dental implant consultation.