Definition of a Dental Implant
A Dental Implant is an artificial tooth root used in dentistry to support restorations that resemble a tooth or group of teeth. Virtually all dental implants placed today are root-form endosseous implants. In other words, virtually all dental implants placed in the 21st century appear similar to an actual tooth root and are placed within the bone. Dental implants can be used to support a number of dental prostheses, including crowns, implant-supported bridges or dentures. Dental implants have become a staple of restorative dentistry, and patient’s awareness of implants as a treatment modality for replacing edentulous spaces has increased. As the number of implant cases has increased, so has the number of subsequent problems after placement. Occasionally, failures may occur, and a clinical situation characterized by suppuration and bleeding, loss of alveolar bone, and formation of pockets around the implant post may be obtained. Investigations have shown a positive relationship between microbial plaque colonization and the pathogenesis of implant failures.
Peri-Implant Diseases
The inflammatory lesions that develop in the tissues around implants are collectively recognized as peri-implant diseases. In accordance with the classification of periodontal disease at teeth, peri-implant disease includes two entities: peri-implant mucositis that corresponds to gingivitis and peri-implantitis that corresponds to periodontitis. In a multi-center prospective study on 558 implants in 159 patients, 13 failures after loading the implants. Failures concentrated in patients with a high plaque index.
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Treatment Options
Treatment modalities, such as access flap surgery, mechanical debridement and chemical conditioning of the implant surface, topical or systemic antibiotic and / or antimicrobial therapy, and bone regenerative procedures, have been employed to stop disease progression and restore health. As a board certified Periodontist, a large part of my practice is devoted to the placement, removal, and maintenance of Dental Implants.
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