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The stance adopted by certain other indemnity providers in relation to implants leads to a regular stream of enquiries being made to our Membership department.
Implants are used not only in prosthodontics and restorative dentistry but also in orthodontics, where mini implants are sometimes used to provide anchorage. All the above forms of implants are covered by this position statement.
For subscription purposes, Dental Protection defines a dento-alveolar procedure as one which involves the intra-oral tissues, teeth and tooth-carrying bones i.e. mandible and maxilla only. Any implant placed and wholly contained within these tissues - with or without bone grafting which is also contained within these tissues - is considered to be a dento-alveolar procedure and is generally included within our standard subscription rates.
There are two main exceptions to this, where additional subscriptions might apply:
Maxillofacial Procedures (Group 1)
Includes sinus lifts or bone augmentation procedures involving the floor of the nose or sinus as well as all other maxillofacial procedures with the exception of those outlined in Group 2.
Employer indemnified dentists working in private practice should refer to the subscription section of our website for the precise details and for the rate which currently applies.
Maxillofacial Procedures (Group 2)
If you carry out any of the following procedures you must pay the relevant Group 2 subscription regardless of whether you are singularly or doubly qualified.
Maxillofacial Group 2 includes:
- Extra oral procedures to face, head and neck including partial thyroidectomies
- Open reduction of zygomatic complex fractures
- Excision of maxilla
- Hemimaxillectomy for malignancy
- Osteotomies (maxilla and/or mandible)
- Prosthetic replacement of temporomandibular joints including arthroplasty
- Reconstruction with axial and micro-vascular flaps
- Neck surgery including block dissection of cervical lymph nodes
- Surgical treatment of thyroid and parathyroid glands
- Surgery involving the orbital complex
- Rhinoplasty (other than immediate trauma aftercare)
Refer to subscription section of our website for details of the available categories, and for the rates which currently apply.
Training
Dental Protection is not the arbiter of clinical opinion, nor of the adequacy of training courses in this or any other field. But as with all procedures, members should ensure that they are suitably trained and experienced before undertaking these procedures without supervision. Dental Protection strongly advocates the use of mentoring as a key part of a structured implant training programme. Members are referred to our Position Statement on this subject.
Reviewing our rates and categories
Dental Protection's membership categories are continually under evaluation and the subscription rates are reviewed in April of each year. If there is any future change to our policies in relation to implant dentistry, it will be reflected in an updated version of this position statement in due course.
To see a list of frequently asked questions, please click here