How Has Dental Implant Surgery Evolved, And What Technological Advances Does The Future Hold? | Ear, Nose, Throat, and Dental problems articles | Body & Health Conditions center

Humans have been making attempts to replace missing teeth for thousands of years. Carved bamboo pegs used by Chinese people in 2000 BC, copper pegs used by Egyptian Kings in 1000 BC, and even gold in the nineteenth century were all born out of a desperation to regain a functional set of teeth.

None of these attempts were successful, because the material being used could not integrate with human bone successfully. This changed with the discovery, made in 1965 by an orthopedic surgeon called Branemark, that titanium cylinders could integrate with bone reliably.

Modern dental implant surgery was born at that time and has continued to evolve since.

Striving for predictability

The first few decades of dental implant design and the surrounding surgical techniques were centered on achieving predictable bone integration. Certain discoveries were made that helped shape the design of dental implants.

Scientific studies showed that rough-surface implants were much better integrated into the bone than smooth-surface implants. A number of different shapes of dental implants were tried and almost every single manufacturer in the world has now shifted to a conical style of implant.

The larger surface area at the top helps the implants withstand chewing forces, while the narrower diameter at the ends of the implant helps safeguard other anatomical structures while drilling in the bone.

A few minor changes and surface treatments exist between different implant manufacturers.

Improving patient experiences

Once surgeons could perform dental implant surgery with a high percentage of success, the focus of dental implant treatment shifted to improving patient parameters.

Studies were carried out to ascertain the minimum time that implants needed to be in the bone before crowns could be put on them, different surgical approaches were tried to make the surgery as minimally-invasive as possible, and a lot of progress was made in the field of bone regeneration to make implants possible in more situations than ever before.

The quality of the crowns and their connections to the implants were improved dramatically so that patients could smile, chew, talk, or do anything else without hesitation.

Modern advances in dental implants

1. Material

The dental implants themselves have remained unchanged over the last few decades. Titanium is still the material of choice, although some experimentation with zirconium implants is gathering interest. UV-activated implants as well as implants with laser-cut channels to help improve their integration into the bone and the surrounding connective tissues are now becoming common.

2. Shape

The cutting-edge of dental implant research is now focusing on custom-made dental implants which will mimic the exact shape and size of the tooth being replaced. These root-form implants are used in cases where an immediate replacement of an extracted tooth is being planned.

The theory behind their use is that the root form dental implants will conform to the existing bone better, have more surface area in contact with the bone (making them stronger), and also be able to bear chewing forces much faster than regular dental implants.

A lot more work is needed in this field before custom-made root form implants become mainstream.

3. Accuracy

No patient walks into the dental clinic to get dental implants. Patients want replacement of missing teeth and dental implants are the best possible way to achieve that. This is why the position in which the dental implants are placed, the angulation at which they are placed, and their distance from surrounding anatomic structures is very important.

A dental implant firmly integrated into the bone is of no use if it cannot eventually serve as the base for an artificial crown.

Guided implant surgery has come a very long way and is now being reliably used to take all the guesswork out of implant positioning. The use of 3D CT imaging, intra-oral scanning, and state of the art planning software helps dentists simulate implant surgery while keeping the final prosthesis in mind. It allows the dentist to start with the best possible replacement for the patient and work backward towards the best way of achieving that result.

A look towards the future

Implant dentistry is testing the limits of what was once considered possible every single day. We can now reliably give a patient a full set of teeth on implants in the matter of a few days. The focus of implant dentistry is now on planning as well as fabricating replacements even before the extraction has taken place.

We will see the role of 3D planning and executing become the standard in dentistry in the coming years. No dentist will want to gamble on getting a great outcome when a guarantee is available for just a little bit of extra work.

Implants are also going to become shorter as dentists to try to minimize the need for accessory surgeries like sinus lift procedures. These will help bring down the cost and invasiveness of the procedure making dental implant treatment even more accessible to more people.

Root form implants, as well as better regenerative techniques, are likely to make dental implant treatment individually customizable and showcase some truly remarkable results.

The information around existing dental implants, their survival, as well as their failure will help guide future protocols. We already have handheld ultrasound instruments that help test the stability of dental implants and let the dentist know without any hesitation when the implant has integrated into the bone.

More such information around dental implant characteristics will allow evidence-based decisions being taken rather than simply adhering to conventional norms.