Dental implants today are not only considered the gold standard of care for tooth replacement, but they are usually now considered to be the superior or ideal treatment option for damaged or lost teeth.  We are excited about the many advancements in implant planning, placement and technology.

A major advancement has come in the form of improved imaging and planning of dental implants.  ConeBeam CT scans give an efficient, ultra-low radiation image that allows the surgeon excellent information about the surgical site.  This is often combined with computer software to plan the exact location of the dental implants, which is then used to make a surgical guide.  “This amazing technology takes virtually all human error out of the process.  We can practice planning the dental implants on the computer model before the patient comes in.  We can even plan for the location and shape of the final tooth,” says Dr. Todd Britten.

Implant sizes, materials and systems continue to improve. The titanium ally used in dental implants now allows for more compact and biocompatible implants while still providing the needed strength to resist the strong bite forces of the mouth. Implant-supported dentures have also come a long way, and many times four implants can be used to retain a complete upper or lower denture.

Materials to provide bone support are also continuously improving.  After the loss of one or more teeth, the jawbone will deteriorate or lose support where the tooth or teeth used to be.  Ridge augmentation uses bone and tissue-grafting procedures to fill in the area where jaw bone has been lost, leaving more bone and better support for dental implant placement.

Guided bone regeneration for ridge augmentation has been found to be very predictable. Synthetic growth factors have used for this procedure have improved and we can also use our patient’s own blood to produce materials rich in growth factors, such as L-PRF.

In summary, the advances in implant dentistry allowing us to plan our implant placements better, regenerate lost bone more predictably, and place implants with more accuracy and into more sites than ever before. It is exciting to think of what is coming in the future of dental implant placement, all with less patient discomfort and risk.

As an implant specialist, Dr. Britten is highly trained and experienced in the most advanced and current technologies used for long-term implant health and success. He believes in using the best diagnostic tools as well as the highest quality implants in his practice. Dr. Britten works closely with the best restorative dentists in the Tampa Bay area to obtain the best possible outcome for his patients’ implants. For more information, contact us at 727-586-2681.