3 New Advances In Dental Implant Technology You Need To Know About
If you are missing one or more teeth and are tired of wearing dentures, then you likely consider getting dental implants from time to time. However, you may have small worries complicating your decision, such as a fear of the incision needed to place the implant post or worry that your post won't become stable. Or you may have even had an implant professional tell you that you were not a good candidate for dental implants due to poor bone quality in your jaw. If you have considered implants, but have not obtained them yet, then you will love hearing about the following three new advances in dental implant technology that may make your worries a thing of the past.
1. No Incision Dental Implants Now Possible
In the past, before inserting a dental implant post, an implant specialist had no option other than to make an incision into the gum tissue to create a flap before placing the implant post. After placing the post, the specialist then had to suture the gums back together around the implant post. While this procedure was, and still is, safe and effective, an implant post placement procedure has now been developed that requires no incision in the gum tissue before placing the post, and since no incision is made, no sutures are then needed after placement.
This new procedure is often called flapless implant surgery, although some implant specialists refer to it as keyhole implant placement. If your implant specialist thinks this placement technique is right for you, they will first take a CT scan of your jaw and mouth. They will then create a template of your jaw to use as a guide when placing your dental implant. Finally, while guided with the template, they will punch a small hole exactly where your implant post will be placed, then place the post.
This process results in less pain after your post placement, little to no bleeding, reduced chances of infection, and an array of other benefits compared to traditional implant post placement.
2. New Nanostructured Titanium Implant Posts Integrate with Existing Jawbone Faster
Along with new techniques for placing implants, new implant posts have also been developed. The new posts are made of nanostructured titanium. Standard dental implant posts were originally made of titanium, and then zirconia implant posts emerged that were, and are still, good options for people with titanium allergies.
However, nanostructured titanium offers advantages that triumph both other implant materials. Once placed, these implants osseointegrate very quickly, which means that your jawbone surrounding the implant "accepts" it as part of your jaw faster. It is also considered a stronger material than other posts (although other materials are very strong).
Due to their strength and quick osseointegration, many implant specialists will now place the implant posts, abutments (this is a small piece of titanium that holds the post to the false tooth), and final implant teeth all in one day after inserting the posts using the flapless placement procedure.
3. New Bone Grafting Method Increases Implant Stability
While not everyone needs a bone graft before obtaining dental implants, they are needed at the site where the implant post will be placed if there is not enough natural bone present to support the implant post. Bone grafts used before dental implants are designed to stimulate your body's natural bone regeneration process to help it fill in the future implant site with new bone naturally. While older techniques did work well, there is a new technique that works better than ever. This technique involves a combination of two bone-regenerating materials that, when combined, stimulate your jaw to regenerate more bone tissue more quickly.
If you need dental implants, but put off getting them due to finding out you needed bone grafting before placement, then realize that your jaw is actually still absorbing the bone tissue around your missing teeth. The sooner you obtain your dental implants, the less grafting you will likely need.
If you know you need dental implants but have had difficulty making the final decision to get them due to fear of the incisions or any other small worries, then realize that dental implant technology has advanced greatly in recent years. Dental implants can now be obtained more quickly and easily and with less discomfort. For more information, visit a site like http://valleyoakdentalgroup.com/.