Understanding Root Canal Procedures

3 New Advances In Dental Implant Technology

23 August 2021

Diane Mason

If you are missing one or more teeth and are tired of wearing dentures, then you may be considering getting dental implants. Now is a great time to visit an implant dentist because while dental implants have been available for many decades, implant technology has been advancing at a rapid pace in recent years. New implant technology increases the chance of successful implant placement and even helps prevent post-implant oral infections. 

Read on to learn about three recent advances in dental implant technology that help increase the chances of dental implant success before, during, and after the placement procedure. 

1. Pre-Implant Dental CBCT Imaging

In just recent years, dental implant specialists have begun using 3D cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) scans to help determine whether a person is a good candidate for dental implant placement or not. This dental imaging machine can also help a dentist determine whether a patient needs additional procedures, such as bone grafting, before implant placement much more accurately than other dental imaging systems can. 

Unlike other dental imaging technologies, such as x-rays, a CBCT machine is capable of producing a 3D image of a patient's jaw, teeth, and soft tissues. This 3D image allows a dentist to evaluate your jawbone density to determine if you suffer from severe osteoporosis that needs to be treated before implants can be placed. In addition, it can reveal bone loss at the future implant site that would make bone grafting a necessity before implant placement. 

Finally, when your dentist has a 3D image of where your facial nerves are located, it can aid in safe implant placement with a low risk of unwanted complications. 

2. Robot-Assisted Implant Placement

While the FDA approved the first robot-assisted dental implant placement system in 2016, the device just recently became available to implant specialists. When using this device to place a dental implant, the dentist can plan the procedure in advance using a patient's mouth image scans. Then, when the implant dentist is performing the implant placement procedure, the device guides implant placement to virtually eliminate the risk of human error during the process. 

Before this robotic device was introduced to the market, the only options implant specialists had were free-hand implant placement and computer-guided placement. While the goal of computer-guided placement is also to reduce the risk of human error during implant placement, these devices rely on the use of surgical guides that do not fit all patient's mouths well and require the use of special, guide-compatible surgical equipment that many dentists dislike.

Also, implant placement plans are difficult to change during the midst of computer-guided surgery, even if the dentist sees a need to change the plans mid-procedure. 

3. Anti-Bacterial Implant Coating

One uncommon, yet potential dental implant complication is the development of peri-implantitis at the site of implant placement. This condition is an infection of the tissues surrounding the implant that can lead to implant failure and the destruction of surrounding oral tissues.

While this infection can occur any time after implant placement, it is most common during the four weeks after implant placement when tissues surrounding the implant post are most vulnerable to infection. 

To reduce the risk of peri-implantitis development, medical researchers have developed anti-bacterial dental implant coatings that help prevent the growth of infectious bacteria around a dental implant. 

]If you have been considering obtaining dental implants to replace one or more teeth, then now is a great time to obtain them. Dental implant technology has advanced rapidly in recent years, and dentists now have many technologies they can use to increase the chance of implant success that they did not have just years ago. 

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