Which Dental Implant System is Best?

lostinthewoods

I would like to know if anyone has experience or view on which dental implant system is best.

This may be like asking which car is 'best'. But I am thinking longevity, reliability and maintenance.

Google just comes up with endless sales sites. I found one independent piece of work that said pure titanium was better than alloys and there was no advantage in having a special surface on the implant.

I obviously know some companies like Astra-Zeneca. But are the cheaper implant systems really substantially different?

ukmike

Implant for single tooth or for dentures?I had 2 implants in lower jaw this year for dentures,dentist would no longer use mini implants as he said there's a high risk of them breaking off.Estimated life(titanium) was at least 20 years he said.

brook2jack

The big Problem with cheaper, less well known brands is for how long and how easily available are the "bits" of the system?

Implants are not fit and forget they need maintainance and parts will need replacing. Most systems have customised tools to place and customised bits that fit on the implant. 10 years or more down the line you want to be reassured that maintainance will be possible.

However the biggest factors in implant success are

patient and site selection eg smokers have a greatly in creased risk of failure, implants replacing upper first molar are more likely to cause problems than ones further forward, poor oral hygiene will cause implants to fail so follow up is important

Selection of implantologist, have they done many, what is their follow up protocol, how often will they want you to see the hygienist etc

I would concentrate on the person placing not so much what they place.

coldstreamalways

Yes, what B2J said +1. Th eproblem if you have an unusual sort of implant for the UK is that when they need maintenance, the dentist will need to get hold of the correct "spanners" (for want of a better word) and I can assure you now, if you are the only person who needs that set of kit, the dentist won;t be paying for them himself. It's crucial that you have follow up care from the person who placed them or arranged through them. I have seen patients in an out of hours clinic who have had implants placed on the continent or even in the UK but hours away.

I have no specialist implant training and even if I did, there wouldn't be a snowball in hell's chance I would interefere with someone else's work & therefore share the liability if something went wrong. If I had referred them to a dentist who I know and who would communicate with me regarding what is needed for follow up then that is different.

dougz_2

brook2jack wrote: »

The big Problem with cheaper, less well known brands is for how long and how easily available are the "bits" of the system?
Implants are not fit and forget they need maintainance and parts will need replacing.

They don't seem to mention these things when selling them. I was thinking they can't rot or snap off like real teeth, or come unglued like regular crowns, so what can go wrong? Exactly what sort of ongoing maintenance is likely?

brook2jack

You Can lose implants as easily or easier than your teeth. You can get gum disease (perimplantitis) around them the same as your own teeth. They need meticulous care , some implantologists wish you to see a hygienist who has the specialist implant skills every 3 months. You need to meticulously clean the implant and anything attached to it. If you are a smoker you should give up as failure rates for implants are much higher in smokers.


Implants can fracture and the superstructure (bit on top) can loosen or fall off and will need replacing.

Your teeth are the strongest thing there is any replacement is never as good and you need to address the reasons you lost the teeth in the first place.

Finally not everyone is suitable for implants you have to have the right quality and quantity of bone and fulfil other health criteria.

dougz_2

Hmmm, when I asked the implantologist he said they are just as easy to clean as real teeth. Sounds like thats not quite true then. So how exactly do you clean the implant, isn't that bit hidden in your jaw?

How does an implant fracture, isn't it solid metal and would bend?

I lost the tooth because for some reason it just snapped off while I was chewing on it, then what little was left of the tooth had a crown and post stuck into it, but the post kept falling out and then one time there was a crunch and the root had fractured and that was it. So I dont think it was anything to do with gum disease that would effect an implant? Anyway the implantologist seemed to think my jaw bone was up to it, after jabbing into it with some evil looking pincer thing.

Toothsmith

dougz wrote: »

Hmmm, when I asked the implantologist he said they are just as easy to clean as real teeth. Sounds like thats not quite true then. So how exactly do you clean the implant, isn't that bit hidden in your jaw?

They are just as easy to clean as your teeth. But it's surprising just how difficult a lot of people find that!

If you have been properly assessed for an implant, then the dentist providing it must think that for you, it is OK and the right thing to do. If he's not mentioned much about your oral hygiene, then he must think it's OK too.

But, as Brook said, they are not fit-and-forget items, and it's wrong to think that this new bit of engineering will be there for life whatever you do. Hopefully, your own dentist should point this out at some stage.

brook2jack

Implants can and do fracture mostly where the superstructure screws onto the bit in the bone. For this reason many implantologists are wary if fitting them in people who brux or grind their teeth. Because the implant gives little feedback they can chew really hard with no pain until pow the implant fractures.

Your implantologist will have assessed this along with other factors when seeing if you are suitable for an implant. Certainly replacing one tooth is very successful but it is not fit and forget. The superstructure will need replacing at some point and can become loose and need recementing. You will have to make sure you are scrupulous about cleaning around the implant and be aware that if anything needs doing to it you will have to return to the original implantologist as another dentist will not be willing to touch it as they become jointly liable for it. It's a good reason to have the implantologist within easy travelling distance because even the best planned and implemented implant treatment can go wrong.

dougz_2

brook2jack wrote: »

be aware that if anything needs doing to it you will have to return to the original implantologist as another dentist will not be willing to touch it

Sadly I find that aspect quite off putting, because how can anyone predict that they will still have access to the same implantologist for the rest of their lives?

I was already having major doubts because the implantologist, that works at the same practice as my dentist, seems to have only very recently qualified in doing them. The manufacturer would be Osteocare, which doesn't sound to be one of the bigger brands either?

welshdent

dougz wrote: »

Sadly I find that aspect quite off putting, because how can anyone predict that they will still have access to the same implantologist for the rest of their lives?

I was already having major doubts because the implantologist, that works at the same practice as my dentist, seems to have only very recently qualified in doing them. The manufacturer would be Osteocare, which doesn't sound to be one of the bigger brands either?

I am sure many an implantologist would see you if situations changed etc. However a dentist such as myself with no implantology training despite being a general practitioner would not be able to do much for you. We can be a little doom and gloom on things however it is mostly because of how litigation has gone. If a dental/implant problem has developed a "smart" lawyer can implicate you in damages even if you did not have anything to do with the treatment initially. Hence steering clear of other peoples work. That said, should your implantologist have retired or whatever and there was no problem with the work then getting another implantologist to see you shouldnt be a major problem. The problems exist when the work is failing/failed if that makes sense? Dentists in the UK are more likely to be sued than one in the USA ....even when they havent done anything wrong! Prevention is better than cure as they say