While dental implants have been around for decades, recent advances in technology and treatment protocols have made treatment more convenient, more effective, and more affordable; making implants a treatment of choice for missing teeth.
In addition, your American Dental Wellness implant team includes specialists in all new technologies working together for the mutual purposes of better treatment and better patient care.
New implant technologies
Over the past decade, dental implant manufacturers have made major advances in the design and effectiveness of dental implants. New and advanced coating technologies help implants better integrate with the surrounding bone for greater stability and long-term endurance. New shape and thread designs help implants to be more easily inserted, and become more stable upon placement. And new component designs allow greater flexibility in implant placement to maximize use of existing bone.
New treatment protocols
Traditionally, dental implants have been placed using what is called a two-stage treatment approach. In this approach, implants are typically placed by an oral surgeon, and then covered and left for up to six months to allow the bone to grow around the implant for stability (stage one). The process may even take longer if bone grafting is required prior to implant placement.
Once the implant is stable, the surgeon uncovers the implant, places a healing abutment on top of the implant, and sends the patient off to a restorative dentist to begin the process of manufacturing and placing the new teeth (stage two). This could take another several months to complete, given that fittings and lab work are required.
Today, modern implant design and the use of digital x-rays allow experienced dental professionals to insert the implants, and immediately place the new teeth on the implants. Research has shown that when properly applied, this one-stage approach results in as good or better implant success rates as the traditional two-stage approach.
The benefits of immediate function are:
- Shortened treatment time (it is possible to go from tooth loss to having functional and aesthetic teeth in one treatment session),
- Better clinical efficiency,
- Greater patient comfort,
- The elimination of bone grafts and sinus lifts, and
- Patients always leave with teeth!