« October 2005 | Main | December 2005 »

Dental Implants: All on 4 Protocol

Some dental implant professionals have proposed the “All on 4” treatment plan of restoring a fully edentulous arch with 4 dental implants placed strategically and supporting a fixed partial denture (ie, bridge).

In the maxilla, the two posterior dental implants can be placed into the zygoma. In the mandible, the posterior dental implants can be placed at an angle overlying the mental foramen nerve for increased bone support. I am considering this treatment plan for some of my dental implant patients. What has your experience been with this protocol for dental implant placement?

To discuss this topic, please click here to view responses on our new website.

November 29, 2005 in Active Posts, Techniques and Procedures | Permalink

Dental Implants: Innovative Clipping Mechanism

The screwless dental implant system that connects implant and suprastructure with a novel clipping mechanism has won the Braunschweig Chamber of Commerce's 2005 Technology Transfer Prize. Heraeus Kulzer will launch the dental implant system under the "IQ:NECT" brand 2006 in Germany, with global roll-out until 2010.

Fatigue of material and resulting effects such as loose or broken screws and unintended malformations are among the complications that affect about three percent of patients in Germany who were treated with one the approximately 100 different conventional dental implant systems.

Among the causes are heightened mechanical tension which can be created by the interplay of multiple elements connected by screws in classical implant systems.

“The existing dental implant systems often require time-consuming and complicated treatment, especially for patients who have several dental implants. The quality of this work depends strongly on the dentist's and dental technician's level of knowledge and experience,” explains Prof. Peters.

Between 1997 and 1998, the physicist and engineer developed a unique way of connecting dental implant and suprastructure: A clipping mechanism without interior screws that is constructed in a rotation-safe manner and topped off with a classically cemented crown. The new dental implant system consists of just a few pieces and ensures error-free imprints - even for adjacent teeth pointing in different directions.

The “clipping system” has been tested successfully in studies with more than 250 dental implant patients. Heraeus Kulzer, innovation leader in the dental medicine sector, will enter the dental implants growth market for the first time with the launch of the new dental implant system under the “IQ:NECT” brand. “The new dental implant system has excellent potential for growth. All users benefit to the same degree because IQ:NECT speeds up the process while improving stability and aesthetics,” explains Maria-Johanna Schaecher, head of Hereaus Kulzer's Implants Division.

Source: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com

November 29, 2005 in Dental Implant News | Permalink | Comments (0)

Dental Implants: New Process Could Improve Dental Implants

Source:  Massachusetts Institute of Technology

In work that could radically change how engineers search for new materials, MIT researchers have developed a way to test the mechanical properties of almost 600 different materials in a matter of days -- a task that would have taken weeks using conventional techniques.

The new process could lead to the faster identification of dental implants that don't crack, tank armor that's more resistant to missiles, and other materials dependent on mechanical properties like stiffness and toughness.

Van Vliet, MSE graduate student Catherine A. Tweedie, research associate Daniel G. Anderson of the Department of Chemical Engineering and Institute Professor Robert Langer describe the work in the cover story of the November issue of Advanced Materials.

Together the researchers showed that the mechanical properties of each biomaterial could indeed be determined -- and quickly -- by combining the arrays with nanoindentation, a technique key to Van Vliet's work.

Learn more about this new technique and how it might apply to dental implants,
click here to read the full article.

November 29, 2005 in Dental Implant News | Permalink | Comments (0)

Full-arch Dental Implant Rehabilitation of an Edentulous Maxilla

I am treatment planning a full-arch implant rehabilitation of an edentulous maxilla opposing a maxillary complete denture.

Because the mandible is atrophic and only about 5-6mm in buccolingual bone width, even with a sagital split and graft I can only place narrow platform dental implants. I am concerned that pure titanium alloy dental implants will not be as strong as alloyed implants (6% aluminum, 4% vanadaium). This limits my selection of narrow platform dental implants if I am only going to be able to use alloyed dental implant fixtures. Anybody have any thoughts on this?

November 22, 2005 in Treatment Planning & Complications | Permalink | Comments (7)

Restorative Choices for Dental Implants

When it comes to restoring anterior teeth, all porcelain restorations create a beautiful restoration.  However, the restorations of dental implants in the maxillary anterior aesthetic zone create a particular challenge because of tissue management. Adequate papillae height is crucial to create an aesthetic smile line.

For dental implant cases treated a decade ago, when a metal abutment was torqued into the dental implant fixture and a metal ceramic crown was screwed into the abutment, aesthetics were compromised. The real question now is should we go back and retreat these cases using newer materials.  I have found that changing the metal ceramic crown to a Captec crown has created a far more aesthetic effect. Better still would be to remake the abutment, as well, using a new and more aesthetic abutment. How are you managing these type of situations? Are you retreating these cases? Feel free to add your comments below.

November 22, 2005 in Treatment Planning & Complications | Permalink | Comments (0)

World-Renowned Scholar Joins U of T’s Faculty of Dentistry

Source: www.news.utoronto.ca/

The long-standing relationship between the University of Toronto and Nobel Biocare has brought Professor Asbjørn Jokstad from the University of Oslo, Norway, to join U of T’s Faculty of Dentistry as the Nobel Biocare Chair in Prosthodontics. The chair, created in 2004 through a $2-million gift from Nobel Biocare, promotes significant contributions to prosthodontics scholarship.

The prestige associated with the Nobel Biocare chair allowed the faculty to attract international scholars of the highest calibre to the position, resulting in Jokstad’s recruitment. U of T is the only Canadian university with endowed chairs in dentistry, and the faculty’s three such positions attest to its pervasive commitment to research and teaching excellence.

“Dr. Jokstad is among the most highly regarded academic prosthodontists in the world,” says Professor David Mock, dean of dentistry. “He is devoted to improving the scientific basis for clinical research and teaching in dentistry. His skill in evidence-based dentistry and applying electronic tools to dental education is a welcome addition to our already world-class faculty.”

Jokstad replaces the chair’s inaugural holder, retiring Professor George Zarb, North America’s foremost expert in implant dentistry. Zarb’s research and innovative teaching programs for Canadian dental faculty members initially brought Professor Per-Ingvar Brånemark, the founder of Nobel Biocare and inventor of modern dental implants, to work with U of T in the early 1980s.

November 22, 2005 in Dental Implant News | Permalink | Comments (2)

Dental Implant Interview with Dr. Clark Stanford

We recently had a chance to talk with Dr. Clark Stanford about various clinical data points and studies, specifically as they relate to measuring osseointegration and bone quality, fluoride-modified surfaces and more. It´s a very interesting piece.  You can read the whole interview by clicking here. Please feel free to add your comments below.

A quick excerpt:

ON: How did you measure the osseointegration and bone quality?

Dr. Stanford: We used resonance frequency analysis. This is a non-invasive technique for assessing implant stability. The device generates harmonic sound waves which are directed to the implant and surrounding bone and a transducer measures the dampening of the waves. This provides a quantitative assessment. The scale of measurement is the Implant Stability Quotient (ISQ) and the Osstell Device (Integration Diagnostics, Savedalen, Sweden). Increases in ISQ measurements are a measure of improved bone stiffness and thus healing around the implant.

Read the whole interview by clicking here. Please feel free to add your comments below.

November 15, 2005 in Techniques and Procedures | Permalink | Comments (9)

Dental Implants: Patterns of Occlusion

What patterns of occlusion are you having success with? I have been using a lingualized contact pattern of occlusion.

Specifically, the maxillary palatal cusps on the premolars and molars contact the flat mandibular occlusal surfaces of the mandibular premolars and molars. The maxillary buccal cusps are out of occlusion. Since the mandibular premolars and molars are 0 degrees, it is relatively easy to eliminate destructive lateral guidance contacts. This pattern works very well when the dental implant patient has canine guidance. Any thoughts on additional patterns?

November 15, 2005 in Techniques and Procedures | Permalink | Comments (7)

Dental Implants: Full Arch Implant Supported Fixed Partial Denture

I have a patient who wants a mandibular full arch implant supported fixed partial denture.  I will be replacing a mandibular overdenture. 

The mandible has suffered atrophy with considerable loss of vertical dimension. I can use a fixed-detachable prosthesis (hybrid) but I am concerned that the patient will be dissatisfied because of the space between the metal framework and the gingiva.  Has anybody encountered this problem? Any comments?

November 8, 2005 in Treatment Planning & Complications | Permalink | Comments (3)

Dental Implant News: Upfront: Bill Wynn, CEO, on Biomedical Implant

Source: Deborah Nason, www.bizjournal.com

On board since last month, Wynn found the appeal of the dental implant company to be a "no-brainer" for several reasons.

 Biomedical Implant´s technology features a universal design that radically simplifies the process of inserting dental implants. Its product catalog contains only five items-instead of the thousands required by implant systems primarily in use today.

On board since last month, Bill Wynn found the appeal of the company to be a "no-brainer" for several reasons. "[The technology] works, it is FDA approved, and only two percent of the market is taken," he says. The market for dental implants is at $250 million in the U.S., and $1.2 billion worldwide.

Career path: Wynn has had the good fortune of recognizing his passions and strengths early in his career. After working in advertising and retail, he found himself drawn to computers and, eventually, information technology. He rose through the IT ranks like a meteor, consulting on system integration projects for organizations like the Army Corps of Engineers and Citicorp. At age 35, he walked away from it all, deciding "I was born to do my own thing."

Exploiting his natural talent for building organizations, he founded a technology company in 1994 which he sold in 2000 in a multi-million dollar deal. After puttering around his Potomac, Md. estate for a while, he went back to work, establishing his own hedge fund in 2001; by early 2005, it was up and running.

What brought him to the region? Restless for a new challenge, Wynn visited Blacksburg last September to spend a day reviewing business plans and listening to presentations from companies involved with Carilion Biomedical Institute and VT Knowledge Works. "I came down to give my two cents worth," he says.

But something else happened. "When the founder of Biomedical Implant was presenting, he hooked me. He had put everything he had into his company, and he [already] has everything he needs-except the marketing know-how and the [necessary] time."

By the end of the day, Wynn was the new CEO and board chairman, with an equity stake. His 12- to 18-month plan is three-fold: "Structure the company with business and marketing plans, raise $10 to $11 million in capital, hire my replacement." Advice for the region: Sophisticated, self-assured, well-heeled-angel investors like Wynn are not often seen in this area. "One of the things a region like this needs to do is attract people like me and utilize us," he says. "[But] don't try to get me to move," he says, suggesting that people like him are willing to work part-time and commute long-distance.

Wynn spends four days a week in Blacksburg. He says the area needs "a really nice upscale restaurant-good food is very important to people like us." Had he ever been to the region before? "Never."

 

November 5, 2005 in Dental Implant News | Permalink | Comments (0)