Most patients approach implant treatment with some level of expectation regarding their likely outcome. In some cases these expectations will be realistic; other times they will not be reasonable.

Unrealistic patient expectations pose real challenges for implant dentists. This lecture discusses how to learn a patient’s true expectations - that is, their perception of how they should look, or what constitutes acceptable esthetics to them. The SAC Classification and diagnostic wax try-ins are presented as ways to assist the patient in creating realistic expectations. This lecture also considers the importance of presenting and interpreting survival and success data to the patient in a way that is clinically appropriate for their particular case.

At the end of this Congress Lecture you should be able to…

• describe methods of managing patient expectations
• discuss strategies for discussing outcome data with patients