Why experience matters when you're choosing an implant dentist

Implants are meant to last decades. The dentist placing them should have decades of practice behind them too.

A dental implant is one of the more permanent decisions you'll make about your health. Done well, it can last the rest of your life. Done poorly, it can mean complications, discomfort, or a second procedure to fix the first. The single biggest factor in which outcome you get is the experience of the person placing it.

Dr Will Murphy has been placing dental implants since 1999 and holds the Diploma in Implant Dentistry from the Royal College of Surgeons of England — one of the more rigorous qualifications available in the field. He's also a Clinical Assistant in Oral Surgery at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham, and tutors other dentists sitting their own RCS membership exams. Patients travel from across Birmingham, Solihull and the wider West Midlands specifically for that experience, including complex cases other practices refer on rather than take on themselves.

What experience actually changes

• Planning: knowing which cases need bone grafting, sedation, or a staged approach before you're already in the chair.
• Precision: implant placement is unforgiving of small errors — practice reduces the margin for them.
• Complication management: an experienced surgeon has seen the edge cases and knows what to do when something doesn't go exactly to plan.
• Comfort: confidence in the room tends to translate into a calmer, less stressful appointment for you.

If you're considering an implant, it's worth asking directly how long your dentist has been placing them, and whether they hold a recognised postgraduate qualification in implant dentistry specifically — not just general dentistry. It's a fair question, and any dentist confident in their experience will be glad to answer it.