What Questions Should I Ask at My Consultation?
At your dental implant consultation, you must ask twelve essential questions covering qualifications ("How many implants have you personally placed?" and "What is your success rate?"), treatment specifics ("What implant brand will you use and why?", "What is the complete timeline from start to finish?", "What does the total cost include and what might be extra?"), risks and complications ("What are the main risks in my specific case?", "What happens if the implant fails?"), and practical matters ("Do you offer sedation options?", "What is your aftercare and follow-up protocol?").
💡 Why This Matters
The consultation is your opportunity to assess both technical competence and personal comfort. A dentist who rushes through answers, becomes defensive when questioned, provides vague responses, or pressures immediate decisions fails the communication test regardless of qualifications. In contrast, one who welcomes questions, explains thoroughly using diagrams or models, admits limitations honestly, and gives you time to decide demonstrates the patient-centered approach essential for successful treatment.
Preparation Before the Consultation
Create Your Question List
Why Write It Down
- • Easy to forget in moment
- • Nervousness affects memory
- • Ensures nothing missed
- • Professional approach
- • Shows you're serious
- • Can take notes beside each
Organize by Category
- Qualifications and experience
- Treatment plan specifics
- Costs and payment
- Risks and complications
- Timeline and process
- Aftercare and guarantees
Essential Questions About Qualifications
Question 1: Experience
Exact Question:
"How many dental implants have you personally placed?"
Why This Matters:
- Numbers reveal real experience
- Years practicing ≠ implant experience
- 10 years but 50 implants = limited
- 5 years and 800 implants = extensive
- Specific number essential
✅ Good Answers:
- "I've placed approximately 600 implants over 6 years"
- "Around 150 so far, mostly single teeth"
- "Over 1,000 in my 8 years doing implants"
- Specific, confident, honest
🚩 Red Flag Answers:
- "We've placed thousands" (who is "we"?)
- "I've been doing this 10 years" (how many though?)
- "Lots, I've lost count" (vague)
- Defensive or evasive
- Won't give a number
Follow-Up Question:
"How many implants do you place per month currently?"
- • 5-10 per month = active practice
- • 1-2 per month = occasional
- • Regular practice important
Question 2: Success Rate
Exact Question:
"What is your success rate with dental implants?"
Why This Matters:
- Industry standard 95-97% at 5 years
- Lower suggests problems
- Should track their results
- Indicates quality consciousness
- Honest assessment important
✅ Good Answers:
- "About 96% success at 5 years"
- "Around 95%, tracking since 2015"
- "97% for single teeth, 94% for full arch"
- Specific percentages
- Knows their numbers
🚩 Red Flag Answers:
- "Nearly 100%" (unrealistic)
- "I don't track that" (concerning)
- "All my patients do great" (vague)
- Defensive when asked
- Much below 90%
Questions About Treatment Plan
Question 4: Implant Brand
Exact Question:
"What implant brand will you use and why?"
Why This Matters:
- Quality varies significantly
- Premium brands more reliable
- Budget brands higher failure risk
- Long-term support important
- Future parts availability
✅ Good Answers:
- "Straumann, it's the gold standard" + explanation
- "Nobel Biocare for this case because..." + reasoning
- "Either Astra or Straumann, I'll explain options"
- Specific brand named
- Reasoning provided
🚩 Red Flag Answers:
- "Whatever's best" (vague)
- "A good quality brand" (unnamed)
- "We use several" (which one for you?)
- Won't commit to brand
- Only mentions unknown brands
Question 5: Complete Timeline
Exact Question:
"What is the complete timeline from today until final crown?"
✅ Good Answer Example:
"3-4 months total: today's planning, surgery in 2 weeks, healing 3 months, crown 2 weeks after"
Follow-Up:
"How many appointments will I need?"
Realistic count: 6-8 appointments total
Questions About Costs
Question 7: Total Cost Breakdown
Exact Question:
"What is the total cost, and what exactly does that include?"
Should Include Breakdown:
- Consultation fee: £50-150
- CT scan: £80-200
- Surgical placement: £1,200-1,600
- Abutment: £200-400
- Crown: £600-1,000
- Total (including consultation and scan): £2,130-3,350
Follow-Up:
"What potential extra costs might arise?"
- • Bone grafting: £400-1,500
- • Sinus lift: £800-2,000
- • Temporary crown: £200-400
- • Sedation: £200-800
Questions About Risks
Question 9: Specific Risks
Exact Question:
"What are the main risks in my specific case?"
Common Risks to Discuss:
Infection (2-4% chance)
Antibiotics help prevent, early detection important, usually treatable
Integration Failure (3-5%)
Don't fuse to bone, smoking/diabetes increases risk, usually successful second attempt
Nerve Damage (under 1%)
Rare, lower jaw mainly, usually temporary numbness, permanent very rare
✅ Good Answers:
- Discusses all relevant risks
- Specific to your case
- Realistic percentages
- How they minimize
- What to watch for
🚩 Red Flag Answers:
- "Nothing really to worry about" (dismissive)
- "Complications are rare" (vague)
- Won't discuss specifics
- Defensive when asked
- Minimizes concerns
How to Evaluate Answers
✅ Green Flags
- •Detailed responses: Thorough explanations, takes time, ensures understanding
- •Uses visual aids: Diagrams, models, shows on x-rays, helps you visualize
- •Welcomes questions: "Great question", encourages more, no question too small
- •Honest about limitations: Refers out when needed, realistic expectations
- •Provides written info: Treatment plan document, itemized costs, aftercare instructions
🚩 Red Flags
- •Vague answers: "Don't worry about it", "We'll discuss that later"
- •Defensive responses: Irritated by questions, condescending tone
- •Pressure tactics: "Book today for discount", "Limited time offer"
- •Dismissive of concerns: "That won't happen to you", minimizes risks
- •Rushed consultation: Under 20 minutes, no time for questions
Taking Notes
During Consultation
Ask permission (usually fine) and record:
- • Key answers to questions
- • Cost breakdown numbers
- • Timeline specifics
- • Implant brand confirmed
- • Next steps and contact information
Comparing Multiple Consultations
| Question | Dentist A | Dentist B | Dentist C |
|---|---|---|---|
| Implants placed | 600 | 150 | 1,200 |
| Success rate | 96% | "Very high" | 95% |
| Implant brand | Straumann | "Good brand" | Nobel |
| Timeline | 4 months | 6 weeks | 5 months |
| Total cost | £2,800 | £2,200 | £3,400 |
| Felt rushed? | No | Yes | No |
| Trust level | High | Medium | High |
💡 Key Takeaways
- Bring written list of twelve essential questions covering qualifications (experience and success rate), treatment specifics (brand, timeline, total cost), risks (specific to your case, failure protocol), and practical matters (sedation, aftercare)
- Ask "How many implants have you personally placed?" for specific number—"10 years experience" without numbers is red flag, good answers give concrete figures like "approximately 600 over 6 years"
- Request complete timeline with all appointments listed: consultation, surgery, healing checks, crown fitting—realistic count is 6-8 appointments over 3-6 months, rushed timelines under 2 months are concerning
- Get itemized cost breakdown in writing including: consultation (£50-150), CT scan (£80-200), surgery (£1,200-2,000), abutment (£200-400), crown (£600-1,000), plus potential extras like bone grafting (£400-1,500)
- Ask "What implant brand will you use and why?"—good answers name specific premium brands (Straumann, Nobel Biocare, Astra) with reasoning, vague "good quality brand" without naming is red flag
- Discuss risks specific to your case: infection (2-4%), integration failure (3-5%), nerve damage (under 1%)—dentist should provide realistic percentages and prevention strategies, "nothing to worry about" dismissive response is red flag
- Question "What happens if the implant fails?"—good answer includes removal, healing, replacement at no charge for implant, with clear written policy, while "you'd pay again" or "that won't happen" are red flags
- Green flag responses: detailed specific answers, uses visual aids (diagrams/models/x-rays), welcomes questions enthusiastically, honest about limitations, provides written treatment plan unprompted
- Red flag responses: "we'll discuss that later," "don't worry about details," vague cost estimates, won't name implant brand, pressure to book immediately, defensive when questioned
- Take notes during consultation on key answers, costs, timeline, overall comfort level—create comparison chart if seeing multiple dentists to evaluate objectively
- Success rate should be 95-97% at 5 years—ask their specific percentage, "nearly 100%" is unrealistic, "I don't track that" is concerning, below 90% indicates problems
- Consultation should last 30-60 minutes minimum including examination, x-rays/scan, treatment plan explanation, cost breakdown, and unhurried question time—under 20 minutes indicates rushed, assembly-line approach