Do I Need to Find an Oral Surgeon?

Dental Implants, Bone Grafts & Gum Grafts

example of dental implant placed by oral surgeon

Usually, you can stay right here in my office. My patients are often surprised when I tell them that they don’t need to find an oral surgeon to have their dental implants placed, gum grafts performed, or bone grafts put in. Time has really changed dentistry and oral surgery. Technology has advanced dentistry far beyond just cleaning teeth and replacing old fillings. Though not all dentists go on to take advanced oral surgery classes and specialty training, many like myself have.

» Oral Surgeons and Dental Implants
» All Ceramic Dental Implants
» Dental Implants, Bridges, Crowns, & Partial Dentures
» Bone Grafting & Sinus Lifts
» Second Opinions for Dental Implants
» Cracked Tooth Syndrome
» Frequently Asked Questions about Dental Implants
» How to calculate your dental insurance copays?
» Before and After photos of our patients
» Z-SYSTEMS^® All Ceramic Dental Implants

Oral Surgery and Dental Implants

Historically, dentists would refer their patients out to an oral surgeon to have them place the dental implant base. The oral surgeon removes a space in the patient's jaw bone, carefully threads the implant base into the bone, and then covers it up to heal.

About six months later, after checking that the bone integrated (healed) well with the implant, the oral surgeon refers the patient back to the dentist. Finally, the dentist would remove the healing cap, put on an abutment (which holds the final crown in place), and place the crown (tooth). The entire process would take about six months and many trips to different offices. Good news, this is no longer the case.

Almost all dental implants, including bone grafts and gum grafts, can be done in my dental office. Though every once in a while a patient will need to work with an oral surgeon due to nerve placement or excessive bone loss. In these cases, we either have a specialist come into our office or refer our patient out. For almost all other dental implants, you can stay right here in our office. No more trips to the surgeon, the x-ray lab, or the specialist. We’ve brought all those features to you under one roof.

Are Dentist-Placed Implants the Same as Those by Oral Surgeons?

Example tooth and dental implant by oral surgeon

Yes. The oral surgeons in our area use the same or similar dental implant systems and hardware. As a matter of fact, many of the oral surgeons in our area take the same training programs and work with the same instructors as the dentists. Why?

Some of the world's best dental implant oral surgeons come to Millbrae, San Mateo, Burlingame, and the surrounding towns to stay current with dental implant technology and techniques. We have some of the most well-known learning facilities right here in the Bay Area. So it is not surprising that I sit next to some of my oral surgeon colleagues when I take advanced implant courses.

Why Would I Need to See an Oral Surgeon?

There are many reasons I refer some of my patients to specialists or oral surgeons. The most common reason is multi-symptom cases. Meaning, when a patient of mine has multiple medical concerns such as thin jaw bone and periodontal disease, I bring in the specialists. These cases require multiple areas of oral surgeons, and it is in the best interest of the patient to coordinate across doctors that specialize in these areas. It doesn’t mean that you can’t continue to work with me. It just means we will work in parallel with doctors who specialize in these areas.

Have questions about oral surgeons, dental implants or mini dental implants?

email or call us: (650)-583-5880

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Dr. Sherry Tsai provides oral surgery services such as dental implants and mini dental implants in Millbrae, San Bruno, Burlingame, San Mateo and the Bay Area