MiImplant® 5D: How We Plan Dental Implants

It should list every stage and every part, so you can see the whole cost before you start. Ask which assessments, imaging, surgical stages, parts, temporary teeth, final tooth and reviews are covered, and which are extra. An implant plan has several parts, and a single total can hide what’s left out.

Treatment has these parts: assessment and imaging, any extraction or bone grafting, implant surgery, a temporary tooth where suitable, and the final crown or bridge. Ask for each one by name. For example: Is the imaging included? Will I need a graft or an extraction, and what would that add? What will I wear in the meantime? Which parts and materials are in the final tooth?

Our five-stage plan, Diagnose, Design, Detail, Deliver and Defend, puts the final tooth first and works back to the surgery, so the plan and the fee are set out before you decide. Check what your fund pays: waiting periods and annual limits apply, and some items may be treated differently. We can claim eligible items through HICAPS with participating funds. We can’t promise a set gap, and you can take the quote away to think it over.

That depends on how much healthy tooth remains and what the tooth needs. healthdirect says root canal treatment aims to clean, disinfect and seal the root canal system, that antibiotics alone don’t cure a root canal infection, and that without treatment the tooth might need to be removed (healthdirect, root canal treatment). If the tooth can be kept, that’s worth considering, and an implant is another way to go if it can’t.

Your dentist examines the tooth, takes X-rays where they’re needed and explains both routes: what each involves, what it costs now and over time and what could go wrong. A saved tooth may need a crown afterwards, and a crowned tooth can still need further treatment later. An implant involves surgery, healing time and upkeep, and not everyone is suited to one.

You’ll hear the pros, cons and alternatives before you decide, including taking the tooth out and replacing it with a bridge or denture. Ask us to put each plan in writing, and don’t rush if the tooth isn’t causing an emergency. If you have swelling, severe pain or a fever, phone us promptly. Trouble breathing or swallowing means 000 or an emergency department.

• healthdirect (Australian Government). Root canal treatment

Some people do and some don’t, and a few aren’t suited to implants at all. Assessment and imaging decide this, so we can’t say until we have examined you and looked at the bone where the implant would go.

Bone grafting means adding bone where it is thin, so an implant has enough to hold it. It can happen at the time a failed tooth is removed or as a separate stage, and it adds healing time and cost. Your dentist will explain whether a graft is likely in your case and what it would add before you agree to the plan.

Ask whether a graft is expected, what it would cost and how long before the final tooth could be fitted. Tell us if you smoke or have diabetes, or take medicines that could affect healing, because they matter for planning. You’ll hear the risks of each stage, including infection, slow healing and the implant not joining the bone, and you’ll have the alternatives too: a bridge, a denture or no treatment. We can’t promise how you’ll heal.

Possibly, but both affect healing and gum health, so they shape the plan. Smoking and poorly controlled diabetes raise some of the risks of implant surgery. Tell us about both, and about your medicines, and we’ll explain how they apply to you before any decision.

Smoking raises the risk of gum disease (healthdirect, gum disease). With diabetes the link with gum disease runs both ways: diabetes raises the risk of periodontitis, and gum disease can make blood sugar harder to manage (Sanz et al., 2018). Gum health matters around implants, because inflammation there can wear away the bone holding one.

Your doctor can tell you how well controlled your diabetes is, and may advise on timing. We check and treat your gums before planning. Some people are advised to wait, to stop smoking first or to consider a bridge or denture instead, and those are fair choices. We can’t promise how you’ll heal, and no one can make an implant maintenance-free. Ask us to explain the risks and the alternatives in writing.

• healthdirect (Australian Government). Gum disease
• Sanz M, et al. Scientific evidence on the links between periodontal diseases and diabetes: consensus report of the International Diabetes Federation and European Federation of Periodontology. Journal of Clinical Periodontology. 2018. PubMed 29280174

It depends on which tooth it is and how you’re healing, and we’ll decide with you. Where it’s suitable, a temporary tooth fills the gap while you heal. It isn’t suitable in every case, so ask what’s planned for yours.

A temporary tooth is a stop-gap and not the final one. Which kind is used depends on the tooth and on how you’re healing, and each kind has its own care needs. Your dentist will explain what you can eat, how to clean the area and what to avoid while the implant heals.

Ask whether the temporary tooth is in the quote, or an extra item, and what the replacement cost would be if it’s lost or broken. If the temporary tooth comes loose or you feel pain or swelling, phone us rather than waiting. The Deliver stage covers each agreed stage and explains how to look after the area while it heals. We can’t promise how you’ll heal, so we’ll check your progress at the reviews. You can see the other treatments we plan this way on our services page.