Dental implants are not new. What is new — over the past twenty years specifically — is how they are planned, placed and finished. Matt Golightly, principal dentist at Atrium Dental in Camberley, trained in implants at the Royal College of Surgeons and has been placing them in private practice ever since. He has seen the field change from a niche surgical discipline into something approaching mainstream restorative dentistry, and he has the perspective to explain what that progress actually means for patients.

From niche to mainstream

When Matt trained, implant dentistry felt like a specialism that sat at the edge of general practice. It was already past its fledgling years, but it was a long way from being routine.

“Implant dentistry was the next stream to my boat — I was surgical anyway. Back when I started implants, it wasn’t fledgling, but it was a bit niche. I was honoured to get in on that.” — Matt Golightly

Two decades on, implants are no longer reserved for unusual cases. They are now widely recognised as one of the best long-term solutions for replacing a missing tooth — provided the patient is suitable and the work is well planned. The clinical principle hasn’t changed: a small titanium screw is placed into the jawbone, given time to integrate with the bone, and then restored with a crown that looks and functions like a natural tooth. What has changed is everything that supports that procedure.

The Baker Street CD-ROM

If you want a single image that captures the gap between then and now, Matt has it ready.

“Back when I started implant dentistry, we’d have to send away down to Baker Street for a CT scan, wait for it to come back on a CD-ROM, and then try and work out the plan from there. Now we’ve got it in-house.” — Matt Golightly

That single change — having a CT scanner in the building — has compressed what used to be a multi-week planning loop into a single appointment. A patient considering implants at Atrium today can have a focused, 3D scan of the jaw taken in the room, reviewed on screen, and discussed with the dentist before they leave. There is no courier, no waiting period and no second visit just to look at the scan.

Why does that matter clinically? A CT scan shows the dentist exactly where the bone is, how dense it is, and where critical structures (nerves and sinuses, particularly) sit relative to the proposed implant site. With that information mapped in 3D, the implant can be planned with millimetre-level confidence — angle, depth, position — long before any incision is made.

Digital workflow, end to end

The in-house CT scanner is the headline change, but it is only one part of the digital workflow Atrium runs.

“I was an early adopter of digital dentistry. I’ve been using the CEREC system for years and years. The move to digital is huge for us, and we’re at the forefront of that.” — Matt Golightly

A modern implant case at Atrium typically runs as follows.

1. Consultation and CT scan. The dentist examines the area, takes a 3D scan and discusses whether implants are the right option for that specific patient — bone, gum health, medical history and habits all factored in.
2. Digital planning. The implant is virtually positioned on the 3D model before placement, so the surgical day follows a plan rather than improvising from a flat X-ray.
3. Placement. The titanium implant is placed into the jawbone. Atrium handles this in-house, in the same building, with familiar nurses and a familiar dentist.
4. Integration. The implant is left for roughly three months to fuse with the bone — a biological process called osseointegration.
5. Final crown. Once integration is confirmed, the crown is fitted on top. Because Atrium uses a CEREC scanner and on-site milling for many restorations, the final restoration step is typically faster and less impression-heavy than at a traditional practice.

The patient experience benefit is straightforward: fewer hand-offs, fewer appointments, and a clearer picture at every stage of what is actually being planned in the mouth.

Why “keeping it in-house” matters

The other quiet shift over Matt’s twenty years has been Atrium’s deliberate move to bring more of the patient journey under one roof.

“We try and keep everything in-house. Try not to refer anything out.” — Matt Golightly

Historically, an implant case might have meant a referral for the CT scan, a referral for the surgical placement, then back to the dentist for the crown — each step adding a wait, a new clinician and a new fee. At Atrium today, the scan, the surgical planning, the placement and the final restoration are handled by a team who all work in the same building and share the same notes. For root canal work, Matt Cottam — who is training at master’s level in endodontics — handles cases that would once have meant an outside referral. For implants, Ahmed Al-Baiyaa brings his MSc in Implant Dentistry to the surgical and restorative side, with Matt mentoring him through complex cases.

From a patient’s point of view, that is fewer journeys, fewer unfamiliar faces and one team taking continuous responsibility for the result.

What this means if you’re thinking about implants

If you have been living with a missing tooth, struggling with a denture, or weighing implants for the first time, the right question to ask is not whether implants work — they do, with high success rates in suitable patients. The right question is whether the practice you’re considering plans implants properly. An in-house CT scan, digital planning and a team that handles each stage of the journey are the modern markers of careful implant care.

To explore whether implants are the right option for you, book a consultation with the team for dental implants in Camberley. You can contact Atrium Dental directly to get started.

MEET

Matt Golightly

Principal Dentist · BDS Lond 1993 · GDC 69698

Matt qualified from King's College London in 1993 and spent his first two years in the dental departments at King's College Hospital and St George's, gaining the surgical grounding that still underpins his clinical work today. He has since practised as a general dentist in and around Surrey, eventually founding Atrium Dental in Camberley.

Matt has a particular interest in dental implants and orthodontics alongside general dentistry. He trained in implants at the Royal College of Surgeons and has been placing them for over twenty years. More recently he completed the IAS Academy Advanced Year course in orthodontics and is working toward the full diploma. He was also an early adopter of digital dentistry, including the CEREC same-day crown system that Atrium still uses today.

His calm, down-to-earth manner makes him a natural with anxious patients and children. Outside of clinical hours, Matt donates his time and the practice facilities to The Hope Hub, providing emergency dental care for people experiencing homelessness in Surrey Heath and surrounding areas. That community work, combined with his commitment to accessible, high-quality dentistry for the whole community, earned him the Camberley Hero Award in 2022.