Who Places Dental Implants? Dentists, Oral Surgeons, Periodontists and Prosthodontists
Searching for someone to place a dental implant turns up several different titles — general dentist, oral surgeon, periodontist, prosthodontist — and it is not obvious from the outside what separates them. This article sets out those roles, and offers a few questions you can put to any provider you are considering. It is general information rather than a description of how any particular office works.
The titles you are likely to see
General dentists offer a broad range of services, from sealants and teeth whitening to fillings and dental implants (Cleveland Clinic).
Then there are dental specialists. Oral surgeons are specialists who do extractions and other complex surgeries involving your mouth and teeth. Periodontists are dental specialists who focus on treating gum disease and other conditions affecting the tissues that support your teeth. Prosthodontists are dentists who specialize in making tooth prosthetics like crowns, bridges and dentures. Dental specialists complete two to three years of a residency program after dental school (Cleveland Clinic).
Who does what during implant treatment
Dental implant surgery will be personalized to you, but there is a general overview of what you can expect your dentist, oral surgeon, periodontist or prosthodontist to do: place the implant surgically, give you time to heal, and attach the abutment and final crown, bridge or denture (Cleveland Clinic).
Companion articles cover what a dental implant is and the implant process.
Who decides whether implants are an option
The minimum age is typically 18, and there is no upper limit. The main requirement is that you have enough healthy bone in your jaw for the implant to take hold, and a dentist is the only person who can tell you whether you are a candidate (Cleveland Clinic). Your health is more of a factor than your age (American Dental Association (MouthHealthy)).
Questions worth asking any provider
No published source can tell you how a particular provider works, so the practical step is to ask. A few questions to put to whoever you are considering:
- How much experience do you have with cases like mine?
- Who carries out each stage of the treatment, and would I be seeing more than one person?
- What does follow-up look like once treatment is under way?
Our office is at 147 Main St, 2nd Floor, Lodi, NJ 07644, and Dr. Steven Liao is our dentist. You can also look at our dental implants page and our first-visit page.
Sources
- Cleveland Clinic. "Dental Implants." Updated 2026-06-11. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/treatments/10903-dental-implants
- Cleveland Clinic. "Dentist." Updated 2024-09-03. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/24448-dentist
- American Dental Association (MouthHealthy). "Implants." https://www.mouthhealthy.org/all-topics-a-z/implants
