When implant design matters

Dr. Justin D. Moody discusses how implant technology continues to evolve

Since the beginning of my implant journey, I have heard many people say, “All implants work the same.” I find this to be true only to the point of asking the human body to make a physical attachment (osseointegration) to a foreign object (the dental implant). In 1998, when I bought my first dental implant system, it was a machined smooth dental implant with holes through the threads in hopes the bone with would grow in them, locking the implant in place. The human body is really amazing as most of these implants did great initially. It was the best we had at the time.

Now that I am no longer eligible for the new dentist discounts, I am seeing these original cases back, and this is when I am so glad that technology continues to evolve. Bone loss down to the first thread was the norm and taught in textbooks. Today textbooks are discussing zero bone loss. This is why implant design matters today.

Having placed many brands of dental implants, a few design aspects became important to me. These features are not necessarily in order of importance.

• Tapered design to mimic the root of the tooth
• Aggressive threads to provide initial stability for immediate loading
• Platform switching to aid in soft tissue bulk
• Restorability of anterior implants
• Surface treatment at the collar to help preserve crestal bone.

Having seen many of these features in the BioHorizons^® line, I started placing them in 2007. Now, all of these characteristics are together in the Tapered Pro Series, and that has been a clinical win for me and my clinics.

Over the last several years, we rarely see crestal bone loss. I attribute this to several factors such as the platform switching and Laser-Lok^® microchannels. For stability, we saw an increase in initial torque values and ISQ values with the new thread design and helical cutting apex. Combine this with good surgical technique, and you should have a system in your hands that is reliable and predictable.

There is no substitute for prosthetic and surgical knowledge and education. This is a must prior to investing in an implant system that is right for you. Never stop learning because in my next article, you will see how that has applied to me recently. Cheers!