Dr. Blevins offers the to replace missing teeth. For years, dental implants have been the technology of choice for replacing teeth, whether you needed one tooth replaced or an entire arch. Continue reading to learn more about the history of .
Although dental implant design has remained basically the same for the last several years, the materials and specialized coatings used in the fabrication of implants continue to evolve.
The most common elements of change within the tooth implant device itself tend to focus on the thread design and surface textures that facilitate the best possible fusion with a patient’s bone tissue.
Technological improvements have also continued with products and materials that qualitatively improve the regrowth of healthy bone tissue within each and every dental implant site.
Cutting-edge technologies are constantly being developed to successfully treat patients who have been told in the past that they were not candidates for dental implants due to the condition of their tissue.
Up until recently, popular technologies focused on materials and design to maximize treatment success. It didn’t take long for technology leaders to recognize that a vast number of treatment failures were NOT due to the products used, but rather the protocol (or methods) of dental implant placement.
In the past, a typical candidate for dental implants would be evaluated by his or her restorative dentist and then referred to an oral surgeon or implant periodontist for the actual implant placement. Once the dental implants were successfully healed, the patient would resume treatment with their restorative dentist.
The dental implant procedure was a time-consuming process. Treatment errors were not uncommon. Last-minute modifications in certain surgical procedures due to undiagnosed tissue conditions would invariably lead to treatment corrections that would become the responsibility of the restorative dentist.
Treatment changes occurring during the actual surgery often caused implants to be placed in areas that might compromise bone tissue and/or bite dynamics. This had long-term negative effects that shortened the lifespan of the dental implants.
While oral surgeons and periodontists were experts at tissue and implant surgery, restorative dentists understood bite dynamics as it pertained to the final placement of teeth and maintenance of an optimal bite plane. These differences in knowledge affected treatment, increasing patient frustration.
Eventually, teams of restorative dentists and implant surgeons developed dental practices that could accommodate all parts of the implant process within the same office. Communication between implant specialists and restorative dentists became more immediate and significantly reduced treatment errors when unusual tissue conditions arose.
For those treatment teams that didn’t develop a singular practice housed under one roof, a referral system was devised. It typically matched a restorative dentist with a preferred implant surgeon, but nonetheless required a referral and therefore delays.
As dental implant services became increasingly popular, a few restorative dentists emerged to influence modern dentistry. These dentists realized that they were in the best position to control virtually ALL probabilities of treatment errors with new technology. Tissue condition “surprises” could be eliminated. Tooth implant design and size could be used to overcome what might have become a poorly-placed implant.
Due to intense interest, the development of successful treatment protocols, and the willingness to investigate all newly emerging technologies, more and more restorative dentists discovered they could, for possibly the first time, deliver a treatment outcome that met or even exceeded the expectations of their patients. Armed with new technologies, restorative dentists could diagnose and treat past problems with considerably less effort.
Dr. Blevins is a dental implant dentist who seeks nothing less than the best advantages that can be achieved with the most current dental technologies.
Our dental implant dentist offers all types of dentistry under one roof, including oral surgery, periodontics, bone grafting, and implant placement. Our access to cutting-edge technologies essentially guarantees that no patient leaves our office without teeth.
Want to learn more about the history of dental implants? Interested in learning if you’re a candidate for the dental implant procedure? Dr. Blevins will be able to answer any questions you might have during your consultation. To request an appointment with our dental implant dentist in Mullins, SC, call Blevins Dentistry at (843) 561-4039.
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