placing implants

[JesseBrad3]

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Hey guys, I learned today that at UNC some students have the opportunity to place implants as part of an elective course in their third year. Do any other schools do this, and if so have you had any experiences with it personally? I thought it sounded like a cool opportunity, just curious.

 

[panfesak]

I'm at the UW. There are no requirements for placing implants but if you want to place them there are ample opportunities. I know a 4th year who will have placed about 15(that is by far the most in his class) by the time he graduates. I have heard of other schools as well.

 

[sunphish]

Pitt has this also (it was a big plus for me). From what I have heard this isn't available at too many schools, but I can't say for sure.

 

[coolraz]

Anybody know if you can do this at Upenn (PLACE not just restore). How about maryland (the dean there is supposedly working on a partenrship with nobel biocare but they have given like 5 mil to NYU so i dunno if they gon do nething w Maryland...)

thanks

 

[aphistis]

Perio tends to hog them at IUSD. We can restore them, I don't know of any pre-doc students who have placed any of their own.

 

[sandman]

I've assisted on 8 at Creighton, placed 3 so far, will place 2 more in the beginning of february. Creighton allows the 4th years to place them. None are stollen by perio or oral surgery because we don't have the residents here

 

[ItsGavinC]

We'll place boatloads at Arizona. The American Academy of Implant Prosthodontics has moved their headquarters from NJ to our campus. I don't know what that exactly means in terms of students placing implants, but it can't hurt. I've been told that we have to assist on one case, and then we can place on the second.

 

[superchris147]

We'll place boatloads at Arizona. The American Academy of Implant Prosthodontics has moved their headquarters from NJ to our campus. I don't know what that exactly means in terms of students placing implants, but it can't hurt. I've been told that we have to assist on one case, and then we can place on the second.

as a first year student who doesn't really know anything i thought of something, would you really even want to place one? OMFS and perio and some prosth now get trained to do this but do dental students really know how to place an implant/what they're doing? i mean, i would love to get that kind of experience, but are dental students really trained well enough to be even attempting this? i'm not trying to start a flame war on specialties/schools, etc but as a first year student that hasn't worked on people yet who's biggest fear is not knowing what he's doing i felt like i had to ask.

if you're wondering, this question stems from a conversation from my general dentist about a month ago when i got my teeth cleaned over break, while he was asking me how d. school was going he said to me "you want to specialize don't you? implants, that's where the money is at. i can restore them easily can take a course to place them but i wouldn't be able to handle the complications nor feel comfortable doing it"

obviously, that wasn't verbatim or however you spell it, but i would love to get some residents' opinions on this

 

[DcS]

as a first year student who doesn't really know anything i thought of something, would you really even want to place one? OMFS and perio and some prosth now get trained to do this but do dental students really know how to place an implant/what they're doing? i mean, i would love to get that kind of experience, but are dental students really trained well enough to be even attempting this? i'm not trying to start a flame war on specialties/schools, etc but as a first year student that hasn't worked on people yet who's biggest fear is not knowing what he's doing i felt like i had to ask.

if you're wondering, this question stems from a conversation from my general dentist about a month ago when i got my teeth cleaned over break, while he was asking me how d. school was going he said to me "you want to specialize don't you? implants, that's where the money is at. i can restore them easily can take a course to place them but i wouldn't be able to handle the complications nor feel comfortable doing it"

obviously, that wasn't verbatim or however you spell it, but i would love to get some residents' opinions on this

If I were you I would look at it this way. Implants are an area of dentistry that is highly profitable, a sound treatment alternative, and "easy" if the proper time is taken to treatment plan. They are also one of the most recent advances in dentistry. That's not to say they haven't been around since the 60s, because they have. But since the old days of the blade implants and subperiosteals the technological advances recently are awesome.

So where am I going with this? As a young dental student you have the upper hand. Many older dentists are set in their ways and have the attitude that you explained above. They don't feel like taking CE and learning about implants. As a young student you have the chance to implement it in your practice from day 1.

It depends on what school you go to regarding how much implant exposure you will get. At UNC we are 'sponsored' by ITI and Astra and have a huge implant exposure. With that said, I would not feel 100% comfortable placing them myself without a little more training.

I've observed over 10+ implant surgeries. Anyone else who has may tell you they are easy. 99% of the time, they are. But there is a reason for that. You have to do the proper work up-front to protect your behind. A lot of people placing them probably don't do a lot of this legwork and leave themselves open to mistakes. With the proper radiographs, models, stents, etc, implants are easy. Only because when placing them you better be sure you know where the nerves are, the quality of bone you have, etc etc. But you have to understand that the cases where dentists get sued for botched implants usually end up in very pricey settlements because of user error.

Sorry if that was a round-about explanation, but I think as students if you are doing GP you are in a great spot to get into a hot area.

 

[TiggerJSA]

Anybody know if you can do this at Upenn (PLACE not just restore). How about maryland (the dean there is supposedly working on a partenrship with nobel biocare but they have given like 5 mil to NYU so i dunno if they gon do nething w Maryland...)

thanks

I'm an OMS clerk at MD and just placed my first implant this week. I know the dean is pushing for every student (OMS clerk or not) to have a chance to place some. We currently have around 15 or so clerks who have the opportunity. I'm pretty sure more opportunities will be available in the future...

 

[ItsGavinC]

as a first year student who doesn't really know anything i thought of something, would you really even want to place one?

Of course I would! All dental school procedures are watched over and monitored by faculty, some more than others. Placing of implants would fall on the more than others side of things, but there isn't a great deal of difficulty involved. The entire process takes about 20 minutes or so, assuming things pan out as routine. The key is to be prepared prior to entering the room. Talk to the patient, answer their questions, study the radiographs (know where the sinuses are, how much bone there is, where the restoring doc wants the emergence profile to be, etc.).

 

[3rdMolarRoller]

By no means is placing an implant easy. It takes months of treatment planning because the majority of patients that need them have big time bone resorption. I've assisted in over 40 cases and let me tell you simple radiographs and pan don't cut it.

Its to the point that here at NYUCD we are getting a CT to do the scans because the need and demand is that high.

There is a reason why schools like NYU and others have a 2 year post-doc implant program. You cannot learn enough in the undergrad clinics to start implants on "day one" of your practice. That is about the stupidist comment I have heard. Maybe if all you want to do is place an immediate implant after an extraction for a single tooth, ok maybe then.

Schools need to spend more time on the biomaterials of implants and grafting (maybe I'll copy and paste some of my research on here later to show the complexity). Dental students are getting way too cocky on this subject and some are going to go down hard when they go into the real world because they put in 5 implants in school...pfff thats nothing!

 

[DcS]

By no means is placing an implant easy. It takes months of treatment planning because the majority of patients that need them have big time bone resorption. I've assisted in over 40 cases and let me tell you simple radiographs and pan don't cut it.

Its to the point that here at NYUCD we are getting a CT to do the scans because the need and demand is that high.

There is a reason why schools like NYU and others have a 2 year post-doc implant program. You cannot learn enough in the undergrad clinics to start implants on "day one" of your practice. That is about the stupidist comment I have heard. Maybe if all you want to do is place an immediate implant after an extraction for a single tooth, ok maybe then.

Schools need to spend more time on the biomaterials of implants and grafting (maybe I'll copy and paste some of my research on here later to show the complexity). Dental students are getting way too cocky on this subject and some are going to go down hard when they go into the real world because they put in 5 implants in school...pfff thats nothing!

I'm not sure if you are referring to the fact that I said implants are 'easy'...

..if you will read my post i said they are easy after the lengthy legwork and tx planning is done, and this includes tomos. But once you have grafted adequate bone and done the prep, the actual exercise of placing the implant is most times very easy. It's not hard to follow a chart and use tiger drills if you have a sx stent to mark your entry and a good assistant.

 

[superchris147]

Of course I would! All dental school procedures are watched over and monitored by faculty, some more than others. Placing of implants would fall on the more than others side of things, but there isn't a great deal of difficulty involved. The entire process takes about 20 minutes or so, assuming things pan out as routine. The key is to be prepared prior to entering the room. Talk to the patient, answer their questions, study the radiographs (know where the sinuses are, how much bone there is, where the restoring doc wants the emergence profile to be, etc.).

I didn't necessarily mean would you want to in terms of dental school. I mean would you want to as a GP. I know I would because it makes good money. But my point is, would you feel comfortable doing it in terms of all the complications that could arise aka do you have the training to do it. Or is the mentality of GP's to do the procedure and if any complications arise refer out to omfs or perio? I don't feel like I would be comfortable doing a procedure unless I could handle the complications.

Seriously, I'm not trying to hate because I would love to get that kind of exposure in dental school as well. I'm just a first year so I don't know what treating patients is like, but that thought came to mind when i saw this thread. But I would to get some opinions of other people as well.

 

[esclavo]

I'm not sure if you are referring to the fact that I said implants are 'easy'...

..if you will read my post i said they are easy after the lengthy legwork and tx planning is done, and this includes tomos. But once you have grafted adequate bone and done the prep, the actual exercise of placing the implant is most times very easy. It's not hard to follow a chart and use tiger drills if you have a sx stent to mark your entry and a good assistant.

okay, then I'll say it for you. Implants are easy. The hard part is tissue engineering (bone grafting, connective tissue work, expanding the bone). The one time they are more challenging is way back in the mouth (access issues), working close to nerves, some anterior work where the adjacent tooth roots converge making the possibility of damaging an adjacent tooth. Maxillary and mandibular anterior teeth generally DO converge when you go apically... then you have the rare complications...but I stick with my original statement...they are easy.