Dental implants have evolved due to the perfection of surgical techniques and the appearance of some new ones. In this article, Dr. Colmenero, an expert in dentistry, presents the five most significant advances that have led to improvements in dental implants.
The 21st century is characterized by the constant change of paradigms in all aspects, from the social to the scientific. Dental implants are no stranger to this evolution, marked especially by the impact of the digital world and scientific evidence. Dental implants were originally intended for the rehabilitation of oral invalids, those totally edentulous patients who were unable to wear the traditional complete prosthesis, popularly known as “dentures”.
Today, however, dental implants are the routine treatment of choice for any type of edentulousness, be it single, multiple or total. The continuous development and improvement of the technical characteristics of dental implants, as well as of surgical procedures and bone regeneration and gum tissue management techniques, have made it possible to consolidate dental implants as a common, minimally invasive and predictable surgical-prosthetic treatment.
There are 5 advances that can be considered decisive in this process:
Bone regeneration in dental implants 2.
Until a few years ago, the main limiting factor for dental implant carriers was whether or not they had enough bone to place them. However, this limitation is much less important, since we now have a multitude of techniques to regenerate bone in a less traumatic way. In exceptional cases, procedures under general anesthesia, calotte or hip bone grafts are necessary.
2. Short dental implants
Today it is considered that in certain cases it is better to use short implants, less than 8 millimeters, rather than bone grafting techniques. This avoids surgical complications and shortens treatment times in patients with little bone.
3. Angled dental implants
In addition, new techniques such as angled implants -which take advantage of anatomical elements such as tuberosity, pterygoid process, buttresses, maxillary anatomy, etc.- make it possible to avoid bone grafting in patients in whom even short implants cannot be used due to the reduced volume of bone available.
4. Digital dentistry in dental implants
The new digital technologies open up a new rehabilitation horizon for us, since they make it possible to use customized regenerative and implantological techniques, that is, specifically designed for each patient. We can plan the surgery in detail with a computer, determining in advance the optimal placement points, as well as the depth or angle of the dental implant. Digital dentistry also allows us to see what the prosthesis will look like before it is made.
5. Tissue engineering
The recovery of oral tissues through stem cells is also opening up a new horizon for dental implants. In the not too distant future we may not only be able to regenerate bone or gum, but also complete dental structures. We are not talking about science fiction, but about the dental clinic of the 21st century.