Archive for the ‘Implants’ Category

Choose Success: Implants

Wednesday, July 8th, 2009

In Dr. Gordon Christensen’s report on how to avoid the most frequent causes of failures in dental procedures, he offers assistance to dentists by pointing out statistics gathered by one of the most unique research organizations in the world. His creation, the Clinical Research Associates (CRA) in Utah, is entirely self-funded. Any profits are either given to charity or reinvested in further research for the benefit if dentists and patients everywhere. Since no manufacturers donate to CRA, they can be totally objective without deference to any company or product. The manufacturers of these products hate the CRA with a passion.

I would like to share this information with you because I believe it’s in the interest of your safety and success. The second of our six-part series deals with dental implants. To me, this is one of the most exciting developments in dentistry. You can get your teeth back! And the prognosis is, on the average, every bit as good as natural teeth. The success rate is higher than any prosthesis in dentistry or medical science for that matter.

Usually, the first question we get is how soon can they be finished? The answer is anywhere from immediately to up to six months, but your success rate drops significantly the sooner you put a tooth on the implant, or “load” it. The bone needs about four to six months to fuse to the special coating on the implant body or root. Depending on its position, type, size, and environment, the success rate after that amount of time is from 95% to 99%, however if it is immediately loaded that figure goes down to 90% to 95%. Dr. Christensen advises against that. Your chance of failure could go up to one in ten if you rush it.

When I started practicing dentistry, the success rate of implants was estimated at an optimistic 80%. That’s one failure in five. I refused to do them and advised my patients against them. If they insisted, I sent them to another dentist. So you can guess how I stand on immediate implants.

Well, if the Supreme Court has their way, I could be guilty of pollution, so let me wrap this up with a few hints. I must be brief but technical, so write these down and discuss them with your dentist. Be sure you have adequate antibiotic coverage when placing the implant body. The direction of the implant should be in the direction of the biting forces. There should be no gum disease around any other natural teeth. Use custom abutments for single implants. Don’t connect implants to natural teeth. Attach the tooth or crown with cement rather than a screw, and make sure the bite isn’t too high. Finally, when doing implant-supported partial dentures and dentures, avoid long cantilevers, rigid retainers, and high noble framework.

Dr. Moulton’s article was published in the Desert Valley Times, April 2007

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