Implant Dentistry

Who Should Place Your Dental Implants? Prosthodontist, Oral Surgeon, Periodontist or General Dentist

October 14, 2026

Medically Reviewed by Dr. Elizabeta Cokovska

Most people looking into implants assume there is one kind of implant dentist. Then they are told they will see two people: one to place the implant, and another to put the tooth on it. Or they find three practices nearby that all offer implants, run by dentists with different titles, and no clear way to compare them.

The short answer: Any licensed dentist in the United States can place implants, but four groups do most of them: general dentists, oral surgeons, periodontists and prosthodontists. Oral surgeons and periodontists specialize in the surgery. Prosthodontists specialize in planning and making the teeth that go on top, and many are also trained to place the implant. For a straightforward single implant, several of these can do excellent work. For full-arch, front-tooth or previously failed cases, the person who designs the final teeth should lead the plan.

The Four Kinds of Dentist Who Place Implants

General dentists complete dental school and may learn implants through continuing education courses. No formal specialty residency is required to place implants. Experience varies enormously from one dentist to the next.
Oral and maxillofacial surgeons complete a hospital-based residency of four to six years covering surgery of the mouth, jaws and face, including implants and anesthesia (source). They typically place the implant and refer you elsewhere for the teeth.
Periodontists complete a three-year residency in the gums and supporting bone, including implant placement (source). They are especially strong where gum health or bone grafting is the main issue.
Prosthodontists complete a residency of about three years, typically 34 to 36 months, in replacing and restoring teeth: crowns, bridges, dentures, implant teeth and full-mouth reconstruction (source). Many programs include placing implants as well as restoring them.

Prosthodontics, periodontics and oral surgery are all specialties recognized by the American Dental Association. Board certification is a separate, voluntary examination taken after residency, so it is worth asking about directly.

Why the Teeth on Top Matter More Than Most People Think

An implant is only the foundation. What you live with every day is the tooth, bridge or arch attached to it: how it looks, how it bites, and how easy it is to keep clean.

Those things are largely decided before surgery. Where the implant sits in the bone, and at what angle, determines whether the final tooth can be shaped well, whether the bite loads it evenly, and whether the gum around it can be cleaned. An implant placed where the bone happened to be, and then restored around afterward, can function for years and still never look or clean quite right.

There is evidence the restorative side matters for health too. In a large Swedish study of implant patients, those whose implant restorations had been delivered by general practitioners had higher odds of moderate to severe peri-implantitis, the bone-destroying infection around implants, than those treated by specialists (source). Peri-implantitis affects roughly one in five people with implants overall (source).

The Part Most Articles Leave Out

The title matters less than the plan. A specialist title tells you about training, not about how many cases like yours someone has done this year, or whether the person placing the implant and the person making the teeth are actually planning together. An experienced general dentist doing a simple single implant may be a perfectly good choice.

Two practices means a handoff. The common arrangement, a surgeon who places and a separate dentist who restores, works well when the two coordinate closely. When they do not, the restoring dentist inherits an implant position they did not choose. Ask who is planning the final tooth before anyone plans the surgery.

The association in the Swedish study is also just that: an association. It does not prove that every general dentist's implant work is worse, only that who restores the implant appears to matter.

When a Prosthodontist Should Lead

Full-arch treatment, such as All-on-4 or All-on-6 or implant dentures, where the bite, appearance and speech of a whole arch are being designed at once
Front teeth, where a millimeter of implant position changes how the final tooth looks
Previously failed implants or crowns, where the cause needs diagnosing before anything is redone
Bite problems or heavy grinding, which overload implants and the teeth around them
Combined treatment, where implants sit alongside new crowns, bridges or veneers and everything has to match

How It Works at Our Practice

Dr. Elizabeta Cokovska is a board-certified prosthodontist who both places and restores implants, so one clinician plans the whole case from the final tooth backwards. Placement is planned on a 3D scan before surgery, and the final teeth are made in our own laboratory. She also performs bone grafting here, including socket preservation, ridge augmentation and sinus lifts. Over 30 years, she has placed more than 15,000 implants.

Patient before bone grafting and full-arch implant treatment — Before: a patient with only a few failing teeth remaining.

The same patient after bone grafting and a full fixed arch on implants, planned, placed and restored at one practice — After: the same patient following bone grafting and a full fixed arch on implants, all planned, placed and restored at one practice, with the final teeth made in-house. Individual results vary.

What to Ask Any Practice

Who places the implant, and who makes the final tooth? If they are different people, how do they plan together?
Is the final tooth designed before the implant position is decided?
What specialty training do you have, and are you board-certified in it?
How many cases like mine do you treat each year?
Who makes the crown or arch, and where?
If something fails in five years, who is responsible for fixing it?

Final Takeaways

Four kinds of dentist place implants: general dentists, oral surgeons, periodontists and prosthodontists.
Oral surgeons train four to six years, periodontists and prosthodontists about three.
Surgeons and periodontists focus on placement; prosthodontists focus on the teeth, and many also place implants.
The implant position decides how good the final tooth can be, so the final tooth should be planned first.
In a Swedish study, restorations delivered by general practitioners were associated with more severe peri-implantitis.
For simple single implants, experience matters more than title. For full-arch, front-tooth and failed cases, a prosthodontist-led plan is the stronger choice.

Research References

Derks J, Schaller D, Håkansson J, Wennström JL, Tomasi C, Berglundh T. Effectiveness of implant therapy analyzed in a Swedish population: prevalence of peri-implantitis. 2016. swepub
Prevalence, incidence, systemic, behavioral, and patient-related risk factors and indicators for peri-implant diseases: an AO/AAP systematic review and meta-analysis. pubmed
ADEA PASS program listing: University of California, Los Angeles, Prosthodontics (36 months, CODA-accredited). ADEA
UCLA School of Dentistry, Periodontics Residency Program (3 years). UCLA
Thomas Jefferson University, Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Residency (4-year certificate or 6-year MD/OMS). Jefferson

Where to Go From Here

Makris Dental Prosthodontics is a specialty prosthodontic practice at 13250 Narcoossee Rd #103 in Lake Nona Medical City, Orlando.

For a fuller explanation of the specialty, see what is a prosthodontist, or meet Dr. Cokovska. If you are comparing options for missing teeth, start with dental implants, or see more before and after results.

Call (407) 753-4743 or request a consultation online. You will leave the first visit with a written assessment either way.

FAQs

Who should place my dental implants?

Any licensed dentist in the US can place implants. Most are placed by general dentists, oral surgeons, periodontists or prosthodontists. Oral surgeons and periodontists specialize in surgery; prosthodontists specialize in the teeth that go on top, and many also place implants. Experience with cases like yours matters as much as the title.

What is the difference between a prosthodontist and an oral surgeon for implants?

Oral surgeons complete a four- to six-year hospital-based residency covering surgery of the mouth, jaws and face. Prosthodontists complete about three years focused on restoring and replacing teeth. Surgeons are strongest at complex surgery; prosthodontists at planning and making the final teeth. Many prosthodontists also place implants.

Do prosthodontists place implants themselves?

Many do. Prosthodontic residencies commonly include both placing and restoring implants. When one prosthodontist does both, the implant can be positioned for the final tooth from the start, without a handoff between two practices.

Is a general dentist who places implants a specialist?

No. Prosthodontics, periodontics and oral surgery are recognized specialties requiring residency training. A general dentist may place implants after continuing education courses, with no specialty residency required. Many general dentists do good implant work, but training and experience vary widely.

Why should the final tooth be planned before the implant is placed?

Because the implant's position decides how good the final tooth can be. Its angle and depth affect how the tooth looks, how the bite loads it and whether the gum can be cleaned. Planning the final tooth first, then placing the implant to suit it, avoids compromises that cannot be fixed later.

Does it matter who restores the implant?

It can. In a large Swedish study, patients whose implant restorations were delivered by general practitioners had higher odds of moderate to severe peri-implantitis than those treated by specialists. That is an association rather than proof, but it suggests who restores the implant matters.

What does board-certified mean for a prosthodontist?

Board certification is a voluntary examination taken after specialty residency, through boards such as the American Board of Prosthodontics. It shows a specialist has passed an additional assessment of their knowledge and clinical work. Not every specialist is board-certified, so it is worth asking.

When should a prosthodontist lead implant treatment?

For full-arch treatment, front teeth, previously failed implants or crowns, bite problems or heavy grinding, and cases that combine implants with new crowns or veneers. In these, the design of the final teeth drives every other decision.

Is it a problem if one dentist places the implant and another restores it?

Not necessarily. A two-practice arrangement can work well when the surgeon and restoring dentist plan together. The risk is a handoff where the restoring dentist inherits an implant position they did not choose. Ask how the two coordinate before treatment begins.

How do I find out what my case needs?

Through an examination and a 3D scan, which show your bone, bite and the condition of nearby teeth. From those you receive a written plan explaining who will do each step, what the final teeth will be, the timeline and the cost, and you can take it away to compare.

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