Different Dental Implant Systems
Most Popular Implant Systems
Dental implants have started to evolve from their traditional material and size; the improvements are helping simplify surgery and opening the option of dental implants to more people who are looking to replace missing teeth.
There are a number of companies that offer dental implants under generic brands and standard sizes, but these cheaper options may not save you money in the long run. Going with a well-known manufacturer and familiarizing yourself with the companies the dentist uses is important to appreciate the benefits. These companies have documented success and offer the dentist special insights to specifics about their products. Additionally, going with a well-known manufacturer ensures that the dental laboratory will be familiar with that product and the specific training for that product. Moreover, if the dentist has chosen a specific company to use on their patients, they are helping you if you should be out of the area and need help with your dental implant. You could be in Europe and need emergency dental help and the dentist will know the type of the dental implant you have. Finally, the top companies producing dental implants have spent years and invested heavily in developing the best product they can. When you use their product, you benefit from their research and knowledge gained.
Types of Implants
Once you and the dentist have determined which dental implant company is best for your needs, you will have a series of other decisions to make about the type of dental implant you will have. Choosing between cement-retained abutments or screw-retained implants, custom abutments or stock abutments, titanium implants or zirconia implants, and the type of crown will help you reach the best possible option for your tooth replacement.
Cement-retained abutments or screw-retained implants
When deciding the best way to keep the implant crown in place, the dentist can determine if the crown will need to be removed in the future or if it can be placed permanently. Dental cements can be both permanent or temporary allowing the dentist to choose a specific type for the patient’s needs. Dental cement may not be as consistent or predictable as a screw-retained implant when it is time to remove the crown. If the dental implant is supporting a denture or more than one tooth, dental cement will not allow for removal as easily as a screw-retained implant with multiple attachment locations.
Another reason to rethink using dental cement is the danger of excess cement that gets into the gum tissue. If the cement leaks down to the tissue between the gums, bone and implant, peri-implantitis can develop. While there are ways for the dentist to avoid using too much cement and to clean up any extra, there are ways to miss hidden cement. Screw-retained implants do not have this risk.
When it comes time for the dentist to place the implant in the jaw, screw-retained implants require more experience and training to place properly. Cement retained crowns allow for the dentist to attach the crown like a routine bridge replacement. In the case of fitting multiple attachments from the crowns to the implants, the dentist will face even more challenges to achieve the ideal fit and natural looking final aesthetic. The screw-retained crowns require extra steps as compared to the cement retained crowns. In either case, the dentist will need to ensure that crown does not place any uneven or inappropriate stress on the implant to avoid damage to the implant.
Depending on the location of the missing tooth in your mouth and the angle of your dental implant, the dentist may not be able to use a screw to secure the crown. The incisal and facial contours of the false teeth are not suitable for screw holes. If the dental implant has fused with the bone at an angle that is not correct for the crown, then the dentist will need to use an angled, screw-retained abutment to attach the crown to the implant. These abutments are more expensive so using dental cement in these cases is more predictable.
Custom abutments or stock abutments
Depending on the location of your missing tooth and the final look that you hoping to achieve with your dental implant, the dentist can help you decide between a stock abutment or a custom abutment. The specific features of each of these can be explained to you by the dentist and can offer different benefits depending on your specific case.
Titanium implants or zirconia implants
Since dental implants started being used to replace missing teeth, most have been completed by using titanium for the implant post material. It is a biocompatible material that can integrate with bone without complication; this means that bone can grow on the surface of titanium. When the implant is completely fused with the bone, the implant is secure in place and will not move just like a natural tooth root. The titanium alloy used in dental implants has a long-term success rate close to 95%. The original versions of dental implants were pure titanium, but these proved to be too soft so the added metals help strengthen the material. Unfortunately, some people have metal sensitivities or allergies and they can experience complications from the titanium alloys. Other people try to avoid adding metals into their bodies so an alternative material called zirconia is another option for dental implant material. Zirconia is a ceramic material that combines zirconium with trace amounts of hafnium and yttrium to improve its performance. Like titanium, zirconia is strong and can fuse with bone in a similar way.
Titanium has had proven success in dental and medical surgeries since the 1960s. People have titanium implants that are effective and healthy after decades. The hope that zirconia will prove to be as successful as titanium over time is suspected, but not enough research is available yet. Most of the time titanium implants are constructed as one or two pieces, offering versatile options to the dentist in order to best address your specific implant case. Titanium also offers dentists the option to use to support and secure dentures. Zirconia implants are usually made into a single piece implant and use dental cement to attach the crown on top. When the dentist is placing a single piece implant, the dentist will need to take more time and you will need strong bone to support the implant. Unlike titanium and other metals, zirconia is thermally non-conductive and resistant to corrosion. Zirconia is also more similar in color to your natural teeth so it eliminates the dark shadow in the gums that titanium can produce.
The years of use resulting in years of results proving titanium to be reliable and predictable are not yet there for zirconia yet. Titanium is more flexible in treatment options for your specific implant case so you may have better results with titanium than with zirconia. If you are someone who is concerned about the use of metal in your body, then zirconia implants are going to be an ideal option for you. It is important to understand the limitations of each material so be sure to take time to talk to the dentist about both.
Model-Less Restorations
When it’s time for the dentist to work on the crown or the replacement tooth, the dentist will need to take a good dental impression of your mouth. The traditional ways dentists used to take impressions allow for considerable margins of error, but the advancements in technology are narrowing those margins. The dentist will need to continue to use their clinical skill and experience to avoid problems in the future with bleeding, but digital impressions can remove the limitations of the impression material.
The dentist can use digital impressions to create polyurethane or resin models for the dental lab. The lab will use these models to fabricate the crown. On the other hand, the dentist can use the digital impression data to directly create a graphic design for the crown. The computer image will allow the dentist to design full contour restorations and designs for substructures.
Surgically Guided Implants
The dentist may perform the implant procedure themselves, but other dentists can use surgically guided techniques to plan and to execute your dental implant surgery. The surgical guiding allows the dentist to place the implant in the most accurate and predictable manner possible. When using the surgically guided implant software, the dentist can place your implant in the ideal position to achieve the aesthetic you want. The software can minimize gaps while allowing for the room required by the crown by calculating the spacing accurately.
Dentists use surgical guides for implant procedures because it is one of the safest ways to perform the surgery. The guide itself will rest on your bone, gum tissue, or teeth to limit the depth of the drilling. When the depth of the implant is accurately followed without any deviations from the plan, the guide eliminates any remaining guesswork.
Zirconia Crowns
When it comes to choosing a material for your replacement tooth, the dentist can help you choose a material that will give you the look and function you want from your crown. Some people want gold and other people want their crown to match as closely to their natural tooth as possible. A material like zirconia can be used in more than one way on the crown in either full-contour zirconia or layered zirconia. Full contour zirconia is ideal for teeth towards the back of your mouth and layered zirconia is better to achieve a natural look for your teeth towards the front of your mouth.