For decades the edentulous population has been unrecognized in its need to be treated in an effective manner. The debilitating condition affects quality of life. Implants have provided a strategy for developing a standard of care. The McGill consensus statement provided evidence that 2 implants supporting a mandibular overdenture should be the first choice in the treatment of edentulism. Success in implementing this standard of care into an institution's curriculum depends on a close collaboration between the surgeon and the restoring dentist and an understanding of biomechanics and bone biology.