Bill Klaproth (host): This is OMS Voices, an AAOMS podcast. I'm Bill Klaproth. And with me is Dr. Bach Le, who is here to discuss how the team approach to placing dental implants combines the best of modern science and technology. Dr. Le, thank you for being here today.

Bach Le: It is a pleasure to be here, Bill.

Bill Klaproth (host): Yeah. It's great to talk with you. So, who is on the team involved in placing dental implants?

Bach Le: Well, the implant team usually is composed of the oral surgeon, the oral maxillofacial surgeon and the restorative dentists. There's also a laboratory technician who also is involved in fabricating the restoration. So, these are the important members on the team.

Bill Klaproth (host): So, the restorative dentist then is the person that is concerned with the smile, the final appearance of the surgery and the implants. Is that correct?

Bach Le: Well, I think everybody has a vested interest in the smile. But the oral and maxillofacial surgeon is primarily focused with developing the bone, the soft tissue and placing the implant. Whereas the restorative dentist is the person who takes the impression of the implant and fabricates the restoration and the crown that goes on top of the implant.

Bill Klaproth (host): Got it. Okay. So then, what role does the patient have in the dental implant surgery process?

Bach Le: Well, the implant is a process that does require the patient to be a willing participant. And the patient has to be compliant with all the treatment recommendations. The patient is very involved with the treatment selection. And also, most importantly, after the care is provided, we really want the patient to have a follow-up. And implants are just like teeth in the sense that they do need maintenance and they do need care. You have to have good hygiene, so following up with the restorative dentists for regular recall. And often for me, I also have them follow up with myself so I can see how the health of the implant is doing. So, the patient is part of this team.

Bill Klaproth (host): Right. You don't want to go through this whole process of getting dental implants and then not have the person brush or floss or properly take care of their mouth.

Bach Le: Exactly. And we see that can develop a problem, yes.

Bill Klaproth (host): So, why choose an OMS to place a dental implant?

Bach Le: Well, dental implant does involve surgery. And many times, it involves complex surgery also. So, oral and maxillofacial surgeons are specialists in surgery and have, you know, specialty training in bone augmentation, soft-tissue augmentation and the overall treatment plan. So, they go through up to four to six years of training, specially just for these procedures. So, choosing an oral surgeon is really choosing somebody who is at the top of the food chain in terms of their knowledge and their detail in making the best outcome for the patient.

Bill Klaproth (host): Because at the end of the day, this is surgery.

Bach Le: Exactly. At the end of the day, this is surgery. And we want to make sure that it's not just placing the implant, but also if there are complications, how to manage these complications. So, this is extremely important.

Bill Klaproth (host): Well, that's where your training and your experience is very valuable, because it is a surgery, as I said.

Bach Le: Absolutely. Absolutely.

Bill Klaproth (host): So, does an OMS require a referral for dental implant surgery?

Bach Le: Ideally, it is important to have a referral. And this is important because you want this for continuity of care. Most oral surgery practices, in fact some, are referral only. So, in other words, you need a referral from either your mostly by your dental, your dentist and sometimes by your medical doctor. And that's just to make sure that we're all on the same page and we have the correct treatment and we can provide a comprehensive care for the patient.

Bill Klaproth (host): So, it is beneficial to have one then, to have a referral from a dentist.

Bach Le: Yes. Sometimes in some practices, we'll make an exception. If you have an emergency, if there's pain, and sometimes you cannot get to your dentist, you can go directly to the oral surgeon. But for the most part, most oral surgery practices, it's better to have a referral from your dentist.

Bill Klaproth (host): Right. So, a dentist will refer you to an OMS. How do you know that that OMS is good? Do you just trust that referral then? Is that how that works or generally?

Bach Le: Well, you know, most OMSs are trained, like I said, up to four to six years. So, when you go to an oral and maxillofacial surgeon that have graduated from an accredited residency, you're going to be pretty much in the right hands and most are very, very qualified. We choose most of the participants. You know, I've been in education for over 20 years; these are top-notch candidates that we choose from the dental schools, they are in the top of their class. And we go through a rigorous process of handpicking these individuals based on their academic performance, their hand skills and their capacity. And so, you're in good hands.

Bill Klaproth (host): Absolutely. So, you said a follow-up is very important in this and you want to see your patients afterwards as well. So, you want to see how everything is taking. How is that, a three month after, a six month after? When do you generally want to see a patient after you do dental implants?

Bach Le: Well, after the implant is placed, there is usually a healing period. And we'll see the patient back for follow-up in the postoperative period, so immediately within one to two weeks. And then after that, we have a wait period for the implant to integrate once. And then, we do another follow-up to check on that implant to make sure that it's integrated. At that point, we'll clear the patient to go back to the restorative dentists. And we'll pass the patient, kind of handing them off to the restorative dentists. The restorative dentist at this point takes over and starts their process of fabricating the restoration.

Now, once that treatment is done, depending on what the complexity of the treatment, I'll have the patient either follow up, if it's just a simple treatment, they can do a simple recall with the restorative dentist every six months. And sometimes they'll do follow-up with me if there's a further follow-up that needed because of the complexity of the treatment. Then, they'll follow up with me also sometimes every six months to a year. And sometimes we have them follow up every single year for many, many years.

Bill Klaproth (host): Yeah. So, that's kind of the circle of this team approach.

Bach Le: That's right. Correct.

Bill Klaproth (host): Yeah, really interesting. So, any final thoughts, Dr. Le, regarding the role of an OMS in placing dental implants?

Bach Le: Well, you know, OMS are pioneers of the dental implant procedure and are leaders in innovative techniques that deliver natural-looking solution for missing and damaged teeth. You know, their extensive training allows the OMS to successfully place implants in most patients, even if they are deemed to be high-risk. So, I think you're in good hands when you go to an OMS for implants.

Bill Klaproth (host): When you say at the end they’re higher risk, you really need someone with the experience and education of an OMS to do this very complicated surgery.

Bach Le: Absolutely agree.

Bill Klaproth (host): Yeah, Dr. Le. Thank you for being here. We appreciate it.

Bach Le: Thank you so much, Bill.

Bill Klaproth (host): Yeah, you bet. For more information and the full podcast library, please visit MyOMS.org. And if you found this podcast to be interesting, please share it on your social media and don't forget to subscribe. Thanks for listening.

Bach Le: Thank you.