A first appointment with a general dentist usually ends with a cleaning and maybe a filling. A first appointment with a prosthodontist looks different when the reason for the visit is missing teeth, failing dental work, or the possibility of dental implants. The conversation covers bone structure, jaw function, and long-term planning, not just the tooth in front of you.
At Advanced Prosthodontics and Implants Esthetics in Naples, that first implant or full mouth consultation is where a treatment path actually takes shape. Dr. Randold Binns, a surgical prosthodontist trained through Nova Southeastern University School of Dental Medicine and the University of Illinois at Chicago, and Dr. Eugenio Aquino, a maxillofacial prosthodontist trained at the UCLA School of Dentistry and the Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center in Houston, walk every implant patient through what their mouth can support before recommending anything.
Why an Implant Consultation Starts With Imaging
Missing teeth change the shape of the jaw over time, and that change determines what implant options are realistic. During your visit, we take detailed digital images of your jawbone to measure density, height, and width in the exact spots where an implant would need to anchor. This step happens before any discussion of specific procedures because the bone itself decides what is possible.
Patients who have been missing teeth for years sometimes assume implants are automatically off the table due to bone loss. In many cases, they are not. If the imaging shows insufficient bone volume, bone grafting can rebuild the site so it can support an implant later. We explain this possibility clearly during the consultation rather than waiting until a later visit to raise it, since it directly affects timeline and cost.
What Candidacy Actually Means
Candidacy for dental implants is not a simple yes or no. It depends on bone quality, gum health, how many teeth are missing, and whether the remaining natural teeth are stable enough to keep or need to come out. We review your health history alongside the imaging, since certain medications and conditions affect healing time and implant success.
For patients missing a full arch of teeth, we discuss options ranging from an All-on-4 implant-supported arch to more extensive full mouth reconstruction, depending on how much natural structure remains. The goal at this stage is not to pick a procedure on the spot. It is to give you an accurate picture of which paths are open to you, so the decision is based on facts rather than assumptions carried over from years of avoiding the dentist.
Questions Worth Bringing to the Visit
Patients often arrive with questions they never got clear answers to at a general practice. Bringing these up directly helps us focus the conversation on what matters to you.
- Bone grafting need: Whether your imaging shows enough bone to place an implant now or if grafting comes first.
- Timeline: How many appointments and how many months separate the first visit from a finished restoration.
- Full arch versus single tooth: Whether your case calls for one implant or a broader approach like All-on-4.
- Sedation: Whether sedation is available if dental anxiety has kept you from seeking care.
- Monthly payment range: What a realistic monthly payment looks like once financing is applied to your specific case.
Walking in with a short list like this one tends to make the consultation more productive, since it gives us a clear sense of what is weighing on you before we start reviewing your imaging.
Talking Through Cost and Payment Before You Commit
Tooth loss is more common than most patients realize. Data from the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research shows that adults aged 20 to 64 have an average of 25.5 remaining teeth, with older adults and those with lower incomes more likely to have lost a greater number. Cost is frequently the reason people wait years before addressing it, which only makes the eventual treatment more involved.
We go over financing options during the same visit as the clinical exam, not after. CareCredit offers 6 months with no interest, Cherry runs a soft credit check with 0% interest options, and Proceed Finance can extend up to $70,000 for larger cases like a full arch restoration. A hybrid All-on-4 case can also be split across the treatment stages rather than paid in one lump sum, which changes what the monthly number looks like in practice.
Schedule Your Consultation at Advanced Prosthodontics and Implants Esthetics
An implant or full mouth consultation with our Naples team gives you a bone-level look at your candidacy, a realistic timeline, and a payment plan that fits your case, all in one visit. Dr. Binns brings over 40 years of combined practice history and surgical prosthodontic training to every case, while Dr. Aquino’s background as a maxillofacial prosthodontist means complex reconstructions get the same level of attention as a single implant. Both doctors process PPO benefits and see patients from Naples, Bonita Springs, Fort Myers, Estero, Cape Coral, and Marco Island, with bilingual care available in English and Spanish.
If missing teeth or failing dental work have been on your mind, the clearest next step is getting your bone structure and options reviewed in person rather than guessing from search results. You can request your consultation through our contact form, and our Naples team will help you find a time that works.
