Why is what you read about the Ihde method so polarised?

The first reason is numbers. Far fewer clinics offer this method than offer conventional implantology, so fewer patients tell their story. In a small sample the extremes dominate: people who are happy write, people who feel let down write, and nobody whose treatment went unremarkably writes anything. The same is true of any niche treatment, and it does not show that the method is good or bad; it only shows how the information in front of you was gathered.

The second reason is that some of the writing is biased. Much of the content in this area is produced either by clinics that offer the method or by clinics that do not and sell an alternative. Both are defending their own work. We are a clinic that does this work too, and we say so plainly: as you read this page, bear in mind that we are an interested party as well.

The third reason is that there is a genuine debate within the profession. Corticobasal placement and immediate loading have been studied, published on and taught for decades; even so, the method has not gained the wide acceptance that conventional implantology has, and the number of long-term comparative studies is limited. We say this rather than hide it, because a patient doing their research will find this debate anyway, and not hearing about it from us would destroy their trust.

The fourth reason is a gap in expectations. Some of the disappointment in these accounts comes not from the method but from something nobody explained at the start: leaving the clinic with your final fixed teeth on day three does not mean healing is over. A patient who did not know this mistakes the swelling in the first few days, the change in their speech or the period of soft food for a problem, and feels misled. That is a communication problem, not a problem with the method, but it does not look that way in the review you are reading.

So what do patients actually find hard? In our clinical experience, these come up most often: swelling that increases on the second and third day, which people do not expect; some sounds coming out differently in the first few days; eating being limited to soft food for the first few weeks; and getting used to how the new teeth feel when biting taking a few weeks. All four are temporary, and all four stop being a problem when you are told about them at the start.

The benefit mentioned most often is not the one you might expect: patients usually talk about taste rather than chewing. For someone moving from a denture that covers the roof of the mouth to fixed teeth, getting the taste of food back means more than being able to bite into hard foods. Second on the list is no longer putting a hand over their mouth when they smile.

The points below separate the accounts that are useful from those that are not. The rule is simple: a review with no dates and no detail carries no information.

Rather than reading online, you can ask directly. You can ask any clinic for the following.

1. 1

   Ask for dated case photos

   Before, on the day the teeth were fitted and, if possible, a year later. A clinic that only shows photos from the fitting day is showing you the easiest moment of the process.

2. 2

   Ask to speak to a patient treated for a similar situation

   At most clinics it is possible to talk to a patient who was treated for a mouth similar to yours. If the request is turned down, that may be understandable; but if it is never discussed at all, that tells you something too.

3. 3

   Ask how many cases they have treated

   With this method, experience shows directly in the result. How many full-mouth cases the clinic treats each year tells you more than any debate about implant brands.

4. 4

   Ask what they do when a case runs into problems

   A clinic that says it has never had a problem has either treated very few cases or is not telling the truth. The answer that really matters is how the process works when a problem does arise.

5. 5

   Ask for what is included and what happens after fitting in writing

   What is included in the price, what the final teeth are made of, and which check-ups follow the fitting and when: get these in writing. Most accounts of disappointment arise because nobody got answers to these questions at the start.

6. 6

   Ask when you would not be suitable

   Could this be wrong for me, and in what situation would you suggest a different route? Walk away from a clinic that answers this question with 'it suits everyone'.

It is hard to judge a method on its own; it makes more sense when you look at it alongside the alternatives.

This section could be read as working against us. We are writing it anyway, because a patient doing their research will find these points elsewhere.

The timeline below is based on our clinical observation; it varies by a few days from person to person.

1. The first two days: the part that surprises people most

   Swelling increases on the second and third day, then goes down. Patients who are not expecting it think things are getting worse. This is the expected course; if you know about it beforehand, the discomfort is the same but the worry goes away.

2. The first week: speech and eating

   Some sounds come out differently and settle within a few days. Eating is limited to soft food. The question asked most often in this week is 'will it always be like this?', and the answer is no.

3. The first month: getting used to it

   Chewing returns to normal and speech settles down. This is usually when patients first say 'I've got used to it'.

4. The first year and beyond: where the real information is

   This is the period that shows whether the bite has held, whether any screws have come loose and whether the bone level has stayed stable. It is the reason we ask you to check the date when you read a review.

Price comparisons in these accounts are often misleading, because they are not comparing like with like. When you compare, look at the following:

What the price includes

Of two figures that look the same, one may not cover imaging, extractions or a night guard, and the material of the final teeth changes the figure too. This is the most common reason for price differences in these accounts.

How many implants, how many jaws

The difference between one jaw and two is large. If the person writing the review does not say which, you cannot compare the figure with your own situation.

Travel and accommodation

For patients coming from another city or from abroad, this item can be larger than the difference between quotes, and it is almost never mentioned in reviews.

Care in the years that follow

Check-ups and possible repairs are part of the total. If a review only describes the first payment, it is only telling you half the bill.