A guide to the first appointment
Walk into your implant consultation knowing what to ask.
What happens in the room, what the dentist is looking for, and how to leave with answers instead of a head full of new words.
Free, takes about ten minutes, and your list stays on your device.
The consultation in three moments
Before, during and after
Most of what makes a consultation useful happens in your own preparation and in what you do with the plan afterwards. Pick a moment.
Before you go
The dentist will ask about your health, your medications and your history with the tooth or teeth you're missing. Having that on paper saves time and avoids the "I'll have to check" moments.
- A list of every medication and supplement you take, with doses
- Any recent X-rays or scans from another office, or that office's contact details
- Your dental insurance details, if you have coverage
- Your questions, written down, with the most important three at the top
In the chair
A consultation is mostly a conversation and an exam. No surgery happens at this visit. Expect the dentist to:
- Go through your medical and dental history
- Check your gums, your bite and the teeth next to the gap
- Take X-rays, and often recommend a 3D CBCT scan, which may be done at an imaging centre
- Talk through options, including ones that aren't implants
Afterwards
You'll usually leave with a proposed plan, or with a referral for imaging and a follow-up visit to discuss it. Nobody should expect you to decide on the spot.
- Ask for the plan and the estimate in writing
- Read it at home, ideally with someone you trust
- Write down anything that still doesn't make sense, and ask
- A second opinion is normal for a big plan. You can ask for copies of your records and imaging
Six short guides
Read them in order, or jump to what's on your mind
Guide 1 · The appointment
What happens at a consultation
History, exam, imaging and the options talk, step by step, so nothing in the room is a surprise.
Guide 2 · The assessment
What the dentist checks
Bone, gums, health, medications and habits: what each one means for an implant, and what can be managed.
Guide 3 · Imaging
CBCT & X-rays
Why a 3D scan is usually part of implant planning, how the referral works, and what the images can and can't tell your dentist.
Guide 4 · Questions to ask
Question builder
Tick the questions that matter to you, add your own, and print a one-page list to take along.
Guide 5 · Timeline
Treatment timeline
From consultation to final tooth: the stages, what adds time, and where temporary teeth fit in.
Guide 6 · Surgery day
Preparing for surgery
A practical checklist for the week before, the day itself and the first few days at home.
Worth asking
Questions people often wish they'd asked
What would you suggest if implants weren't an option for me?
Hearing the alternatives makes the main recommendation easier to judge.Will I have a temporary tooth while things heal?
It changes how the next few months look and feel.What exactly does this estimate include?
Imaging, grafting, the abutment and the crown are often listed separately.What happens if the implant doesn't integrate?
A good answer covers what's done next and whether there's a cost.Setting expectations
What a consultation is not
Not a commitment
You're gathering information. Taking the plan home to think about it is completely normal.
Not surgery
It's an exam, a conversation and usually some imaging. Treatment is booked separately, if you go ahead.
Not one-size-fits-all
Two people missing the same tooth can get different plans, because bone, gums and health differ. That's the point of the exam.
Published by
Smile Studio Dental
Smile Studio Dental is a dental office at 8500 Leslie St in Markham. We publish ImplantConsultation.ca so people can understand dental implants before they sit in the chair, wherever they choose to be treated.