dental implant brands - any difference?

popalock

need an implant on my LL6 molar and the dentist who will likely do it (haven't committed yet) uses ADIN Dental Implants. Googled them and it seems they are an Israeli company. My dentist said they are as good, if not better, than Noble or Straumann given his experience.

So my question is, should I be concerned about the brand choice of implant used & if so why? All in, the implant & crown will cost £1300 + £125 for the CT scan + £100 for the tooth extraction. Seems pretty reasonable as is about half what I was quoted by my regular dentist

From what I've read there is something called osseointegration, with different brands/models claiming improved bone integration. But there aren't any proper comparisons out there to help me make an informed judgement.

Are implants actually all the same, or should I be picky?

Nile

popalock wrote: »

need an implant on my LL6 molar and the dentist who will likely do it (haven't committed yet) uses ADIN Dental Implants. Googled them and it seems they are an Israeli company. My dentist said they are as good, if not better, than Noble or Straumann given his experience.

So my question is, should I be concerned about the brand choice of implant used & if so why? All in, the implant & crown will cost £1300 + £125 for the CT scan + £100 for the tooth extraction. Seems pretty reasonable as is about half what I was quoted by my regular dentist

From what I've read there is something called osseointegration, with different brands/models claiming improved bone integration. But there aren't any proper comparisons out there to help me make an informed judgement.

Are implants actually all the same, or should I be picky?

There are some helpful dentists who post in this board, who'll tell you whether the information/prices you've been quoted are realistic.

I'm not a dentist but I thought that dental implants cost ~£2000 per tooth.............so if it were me, I'd be a little concerned about the budget price quoted.;)

If an NHS dentist you know and trust has referred you to an expert then you've got a good starting point.;)

Here is some information from a dental practice in my region:


A Referral Practice taking from about 25 practices across Yorkshire and Lincolnshire. He's done loads of implants and holds a Masters in Implantology - we'd have had to have been mad to turn him down! And he was attracted to us by our obsession with sterilisation!

Have a look at the website for more information about dental implants:

http://www.hesslewoodlodge.com/Dental-Implants(2430450).htm


You might decide that the quote from your regular dentist is a better option than the cheapie one...............then again, you might decide to go to an expert in Implantology rather than your regular dentist.

Best wishes.

Nile

Toothsmith

It's not really up to you to have to choose the implant by implant brand.

Different ones are good in different situations, and implant specialists often have a few different brands that they use in different situations.

To really understand the differences, and which particular one would be best for you, you'd practically have to qualify as a dentist, and then do all the extra work to become an implant specialist yourself.

If its with a dentist in the UK, then it will be UK regulations and standards of qualification and registration you will be dealing with, and UK licensed devices. If anything goes pear shaped, in will be the UK complaint systems that will help sort it out.

The price quoted does seem very good. The chap I refer to is closer to £2.5k for an implant. He's a specialist with years of experience though, and the work that comes back from him is superb. I also find he's very honest with my patients, and only embarks on a case if he knows its going to work. He is also exceptionally good at spotting problems early, so predicts them (and the cost of overcoming them) in with the original quote, so it's not a surprise during treatment, or afterwards.

I would put your efforts into making sure your chap is good rather than sweating over the brand of implant. Find patients he's already treated and get testimonials. Find dentists who refer to him, and make sure they're happy.

popalock

Thanks for the advice! Yeah the cheapo guy is here in the UK. Saw him today. He seemed very knowledgeable and his consultation was very thorough (even included a CT scan which his has on site). He only does implants so I think he'll do a good job technically. The practice's pitch is that as they specialise in implants, they buy in bulk, have a full appointment book, etc. And pass the saving onto the patient.

I'm happy with them in every respect except they said they didn't use the big brands because you end up paying for marketing hype rather that real quality. Plausible and probable, but sometimes top brands are at the top for a reason (eg Mercedes & BMW make genuinely excellent cars, it's not just hype)

I guess an implant is just fancy screw at the end of the day. How wrong can you go?!

Toothsmith

popalock wrote: »

I guess an implant is just fancy screw at the end of the day. How wrong can you go?!

Ask someone with a PIP breast implant!

But from what you write there you sound pretty happy and confident of your choice. Obviously, I have no idea where this place is, so cannot give an opinion one way or another. It sounds reasonable though.

brook2jack

the problem is an implant is not a buy and forget purchase. It will need maintaince and bits will need replacing. Every implant system uses different shaped bits which
need different shaped tools. Just to set yourself up with the bits costs a minimum of £15000 so implantologists tend to stick with only a couple of systems.

If a well known brand is used many have the tools to reattach substructure or replace bits. Obscure manufacturers or ones that have gone out of business create difficult and expensive problems if anything needs replacing and it will.

Questions you should ask are how many implants has that .person done, over how long and what are there long term success rates. How long has implant system been around . Many imuplantologists are wary of new systems until longterm data and manfacturer staying open are proven.

The person I refer to has been doing implants 20 years, only uses big names and quotes around £2000. It cost them £250,000 to set up their implant suite in their surgery.

mjmal51

brook2jack wrote: »

the problem is an implant is not a buy and forget purchase. It will need maintaince and bits will need replacing.

.

Interesting, but apart from cleaning and flossing, hygienest visits (all part of normal dental hygiene), what do you mean by maintenance?
As the implant post is encased by a crown then what bits need replacing?

brook2jack

An implant consists of several parts .... A bit that screws into the bone, a superstructure that screws into the bit in the bone and the crown that fits over the top. Also there are healing caps and various other attachments that can screw into the implant if something other than a crown is going to be placed.

Implants can be lost to gum disease same as teeth and hygienists need to use special instruments to clean.

Implants can break as they are not as strong as teeth, the components can become loose and need tightening to a specific torque with the right equipment. The crown on top will eventually need replacing. Remember anything artificial is never as strong as the original tooth and no dental work can be guaranteed to last a lifetime , the original tooth didn't .