What happens at a dental implant consultation

The visit, in five parts

Offices run consultations a little differently, but the same five things nearly always happen. Knowing the order makes it easier to keep track of what's been covered and what hasn't.

1. Your historyHealth, medications, habits and what happened to the tooth.
2. The examGums, bite, neighbouring teeth and the space itself.
3. ImagingX-rays, and often a referral for a 3D scan.
4. The options talkImplants and the alternatives, with their trade-offs.
5. Next stepsA plan, or the steps needed before a plan can be made.

1. Your medical and dental history

This part can feel like paperwork, but it shapes everything else. Some health conditions and medications affect how bone heals, how much you might bleed during surgery, or whether certain kinds of sedation are safe for you.

Expect questions about:

• Medical conditions, past surgeries and allergies
• Every medication and supplement you take, including ones that seem unrelated
• Whether you smoke or vape
• Gum disease, past dental work, and how and when you lost the tooth

Our guide to candidacy factors explains why each of these matters.

2. The clinical exam

Next the dentist looks closely at your mouth. They're checking whether the area is healthy enough for an implant now, or whether something needs treating first.

• The condition and stability of your remaining teeth
• Signs of gum disease, inflammation or infection
• Your bite and how your teeth meet
• The thickness and health of the gum where an implant would go

If something like active gum disease turns up, it usually gets treated before implant surgery is planned. That can add time, but it gives the implant a better start.

3. Imaging: X-rays and CBCT

Regular dental X-rays give a flat, two-dimensional view. They're useful, but they can't show how wide the bone is or exactly where a nerve runs. For implant planning, professional guidelines recommend cross-sectional imaging, most often a cone beam CT (CBCT) scan.

Many dental offices don't have a CBCT scanner and refer patients to a dental imaging centre instead. That's a normal pathway: the scan itself takes well under a minute, and the images are sent to your dentist afterwards. You'll usually go over them together at a later visit.

The imaging shows:

• Bone height and width at the planned site, plus a general impression of bone quality
• Where nerves, sinuses and blood vessels sit
• Hidden problems such as cysts, infection or old root fragments

More on this in CBCT and X-rays, explained.

4. The options talk

Once the dentist has the picture, they'll explain what could work for you. A good version of this conversation includes:

• Whether an implant is suitable, and why
• Alternatives such as a bridge or a removable partial denture, and doing nothing for now
• Whether you'd need grafting, a sinus lift or gum treatment first
• Roughly how long it takes, how many visits, and what healing looks like
• The risks and limitations, not only the benefits

This is your chance to steer. If something is unclear, say so. Asking a dentist to draw it, or to show you on the scan, is completely reasonable.

5. What you leave with

Depending on how far things got, you'll leave with either a proposed treatment plan or a list of next steps, such as a CBCT referral and a follow-up visit to go over the results.

Either way, it helps to have it in writing: the proposed stages, what each one involves, and an itemized estimate. That gives you something to read at home and to send to your insurer for a pre-determination if you have dental coverage. For more on estimates and coverage, see dental implant costs and insurance in Ontario.

For what happens after the plan, see the treatment timeline.