Conversations on implants

In this webinar, Alif Moosajee will discuss how to explain implant treatments to patients and communicate with the whole dental team.

Aims and objectives

• To discuss how to frame and present the conversation with patients
• Discuss how to have meaningful conversations and communication with other dental colleagues for the provision of implant care
• To discuss how to have more meaningful communication with the lab when providing implant prostheses.

According to Dr Alif Moosajee: 'The longer I practise dentistry, the more I realise that communication is everything. 'Presenting the information honestly to patients and working in their best interest is the key to success and happiness as a dentist. Conversely if there are certain treatments that we are uncomfortable discussing, and as a result we shy away from, they can come back to haunt us later on. 'I’m aware of many legal cases where patients have successfully been able to sue a dentist because they didn’t have all of the options explained. So if they have a bridge to restore a missing tooth and have teeth prepared, then they can, quite rightly, wonder why they haven’t had the option of an implant explained to them. Especially if it could have prevented teeth from being "hacked away". 'Please don’t misunderstand my position on bridges. I think they’re a wonderful treatment. But I often say to my patients that all treatment is good as long as it’s done for the right reasons. 'If a patient has all of the options in front of them with the risks and benefits, timescales and costs explained fairly and objectively, then they make the right decision for them and that is how informed consent should be conducted. 'What I would really like to present in the fourth part of the series of "Conversations on..." is how to have conversations with patients and to simplify them so that we can present things to them in a way that’s easy to understand. 'I have presented how to have conversations on periodontal disease in my first lecture, conversations around caries in my second lecture and conversations on cosmetic dentistry and whitening in my third lecture. 'In this fourth instalment of the series I’ll discuss not only how to communicate well with patients but also how to communicate with other team members if they are providing implant treatment. 'It’s perfectly acceptable for us to choose to not provide implant treatment. But not acceptable for us to withhold that treatment from patients. 'That’s why implant treatment is often referred to colleagues. But it’s important that the planning is conducted elegantly so that the patient understands what they are going to achieve and that surgeons and restorative dentists know what they need to provide in order to ensure that the patient has the optimal outcome. 'The other person who we importantly have to communicate with is the lab technician. This ensures the crown that we place on top of the implant is as good as it can be. 'In my lecture I’ll discuss how I communicate with colleagues and how I also communicate with technicians so that we can ensure that everybody is on the same page and the patient ends up getting what we have said we are going to provide for them. 'I’m looking forward to sharing what I hope is a simplified approach to communicating and for having conversations around what is becoming a much more popular and important treatment that we provide.'