Is There a Difference Between Full-Mouth Implant Surgery Performed by an Oral Surgeon, Periodontist, or General Dentist?

While general dentists or a periodontists (gum disease specialist) are legally permitted to perform full-mouth implant procedures, such as All-on-4™ , Vitality Teeth™, and teeth-in-a-day, oral and maxillofacial surgeons receive significantly more extensive surgical training through our their 4-6 years residencies. This equips them to manage complex cases and medically compromised patients safely.

Nevertheless, not all the oral surgeons have advanced training or experience in full-mouth implant surgeries. This intricate treatment requires a high level of precision, surgical expertise, and prosthetic understanding—skills best acquired through focused sub-specialty (fellowship) training in implant surgery and implant prosthodontics.

A key takeaway is that oral surgeons went through significantly more advanced surgical training compared to periodontists or general dentists, but this doesn’t mean that every oral surgeon is highly experienced in planning and performing flawless full-mouth implant reconstructions. Only a limited number of oral surgeons dedicate the majority of their practice to mastering these complex treatments.

There are periodontists and general dentists who advertise full-mouth implant services, but evaluating their true clinical expertise for such advanced procedures can be difficult for patients. Most full-mouth implant candidates are older adults with complex medical conditions and significant bone loss. For these patients, it is especially critical to seek an oral surgeon with a strong background and reputation in full-mouth implant therapy.

Oral surgeons receive their training in teaching hospitals, rotating through multiple medical departments during their residencies. This experience makes them qualified to manage surgical procedures for patients with various medical conditions. In contrast, general dentists and periodontists do not receive formal medical or hospital-based training to handle such complications.

However, not all oral surgeons possess the knowledge base or experience required to flawlessly execute a full-mouth implant reconstruction. When performed correctly, full-mouth implants can last a lifetime, but achieving that level of success requires additional, focused training beyond standard oral surgery residency—similar to how a general orthopedic surgeon must complete a fellowship in sports medicine or spinal surgery to specialize in those areas.

Another important factor to consider when choosing a provider for full-mouth implant surgery is how complications are managed during or after the procedure. Complication management in these complex cases can be overwhelming for periodontists, and even more so for general dentists, due to their limited surgical training and experience.

At Vitality Teeth™ Clinic, our oral and maxillofacial surgeon in residence- Dr. Zach Saltman, focuses exclusively on advanced implant dentistry for years and has completed sub-specialty fellowship training in both advanced implant surgery and implant prosthodontics. Here, patients benefit from over 30 years of knowledge and leadership in implant dentistry—particularly in full-mouth implant therapy. Many maxillofacial surgeons have attended courses led by our key opinion leaders to further their understanding of full-mouth implant treatment.

	Vitality Teeth™ Maxillofacial Surgeon	A Community Oral Surgeon	A General Dentist	A Periodontist
Experience with Complex full-mouth implant Cases
Well trained to manage severe surgical complication
Know how to manage patients with underlying medical conditions
Managing patients with severe jawbone loss