What are dental implants made of?

The most common dental implants are made of titanium which is a biocompatible metal. Today most implants are made out of the Ti-6Al-4V alloy and treated either by plasma spraying or sandblasting to increase the surface area and the integration potential of the implant. We actually take it a step further and use growth factor proteins (PRGF) derived naturally from your own plasma to enhance healing. If an implant in the estheic zone (such as a front tooth ) is performed under todays standards and new technologies, none of the metal should show making it indistiguishable from a crown on a natural tooth root. Because there are so many different implant systems available to dental specialists today, it is important that the most proven and researched systems be used. We pride ourselves on the fact that we use only the most tested materials in our treatments since our intention is to provide results that could last a lifetime. Cutting corners should not be an option. Get it right the first time! Stay away from those guys that advertise the $500 dental implants.

Microwave Your Toothbrush

If you're like most people, you get a new toothbrush every six months, but you really should be changing your toothbrush more often, like every three to four months. When the bristles get worn and lose their rigidity, they don't remove plaque as well. But you should also do some maintenance within that three months, when your toothbrush is just sitting out in the open. After all, think about all the germs and bacteria floating around that would love to attach themselves to your moist toothbrush.

So to prevent colds, flu, and other sicknesses, Reader's Digest recommends that once or twice a week you run your toothbrush through the microwave on high for 10 seconds immediately before brushing. If someone in your home is sick, you may want to sterilize it in the microwave each time you brush. If you're the one who's sick, after the illness passes, ditch your old toothbrush and replace it with a new one.

Possible oral sex cancer risk

http://abcnews.go.com/Video/playerIndex?id=6037942

Add oral cancer to the short list of preventable cancers

On a global scale, new cases of oral cancer exceed 481,000 each year. An oral cancer victim dies every hour of the day in the United States. The fight against oral cancer starts with the thousands of oral health care professionals who are now able to help stop oral cancer before it starts. Through routine “BrushTesting” of tiny spots, precancerous lesions can be diagnosed and removed and oral cancer can be prevented. You will also find that what protects your patients and your practice also increases hygiene production. Together, we can reverse the tragedies that occur when our friends and families are touched by diagnosis of oral cancer.

Mini Dental Implants

A mini dental implant is a miniature titanium implant that is surgically placed into the jawbone to act as a sturdy root. The head of the implant is a ball shape which fits precisely into the o-ring of the retaining fixture that is attached to your denture. When placed properly, the denture is seated comfortably on the gums and held securely and functionally in place.

This type of implant has been approved by the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) for general public use as a transitional and temporary product, as well as for long term use. Mini implants can be successfully used as supporting structures for long term use and in single tooth replacements of bridges and crowns.



Mini dental implants have become the most effective and innovative way for denture wearers to feel better about themselves and their dentures. The implants hold ill-fitting dentures in place and resolve such issues as:

• Bad breath from food particles decaying while stuck under the dentures

• Clicking sounds while eating and speaking

• Fear of dentures falling out while eating or speaking

• Fear of dentures slipping while smiling

How the Implants Work

Implants for dentures are placed by being gently screwed into the patient's lower jaw. The mini implants are about the same size as a standard wooden toothpick in width. Once the implants are in position, the patient's denture is adjusted so that it will easily snap onto them.

In approximately one hour, your can leave your dentist's office with securely fitting dentures that rest on implants placed without cutting and stitching. The procedure is quick and minimally invasive and the patient can usually eat a light meal within an hour or so after the implants have been placed.

Dental implants can also replace a few missing teeth when combined with partial dentures. The partial dentures snap securely onto the dental implants in the same way that full denture plates do.

Implant Durability

The human jaw is capable of employing a huge amount of force when chewing and biting. This force is referred to as occlusal force in the dental industry. Titanium alloy, known for its exceptional strength and durability as well as its biocompatibility, has become the material of choice in creating dental implements that are able to withstand the forces of the human jaw. Atop the dental implant, a crown is placed that is as strong as or stronger than your natural teeth. Fractures are always possible, as they are with natural teeth, but they are very unlikely to occur in dental implants.

Mini dental implants offer an easy and relatively affordable way for patients to obtain secure, well-fitting dentures. No longer do you have to worry about the embarrassment of your dentures slipping or falling out in public. You can feel confident and self-assured that your smile is as bright, beautiful and secure as if you were showing off your natural teeth.

Computer program allows better dental implants

(National-NBC) October 19, 2006 - A new computer program is helping patients who need dental implants. The program allows implants to go in faster and stay strong.

Years of decay, gum disease and other dental problems finally cost Arthur German most of his upper teeth. He absolutely hates his denture, "It affects your digestion too, ultimately, because you're not chewing properly. And I've lost really probably 50 to 60 percent of my, of my taste. So, interacting socially is very difficult, especially if it starts to flop."

So now, Arthur is going to go from despised dentures to solid, implanted teeth in the span of just one hour, although the process actually started a few weeks ago with a special CAT scan of his skull.

That provides the basis for an amazing planning process. Oral surgeon Jay Neugarten and prosthetic dentists Barry Rozenberg and Craig Sirota can now precisely plan exactly where Arthur's dental implants will go.

Dr. Rozenberg says, "We're doing the surgery in the computer, we're doing all the surgery in the computer. We're doing all our homework, and then that's being brought to the operating room, and in an hour we're ending up with a full mouth of implants and a prosthesis."

Once the doctors have chosen exactly which implants to insert and where, so that vital structures are avoided and the new teeth will fit just right, the plan is sent to the Nobel Lab in Sweden.

In a few weeks a precise surgical guide comes back that allows Doctor Neugarten to exactly replicate the plan they devised in the computer.

Eight titanium sockets and posts are drilled and screwed into Arthur's upper jaw, followed by attachment of a full upper set of teeth. Dr. Neugarten explains the process "shortens the overall recovery period, minimally invasive with minimal swelling, and again, discomfort and pain."

The actual surgery took just under an hour and just minutes after it's over, German says, "They look great, they feel great."

And in just a few days, Arthur will be able to have something he's been really looking forward to, "I haven't had a bagel in six months. Something that I can bite into, you know."

Most patients who need their teeth replaced are candidates for this procedure.

Sometimes, however, a patient may need to have bone grafted into their jaw so that implants have something solid to be attached to.

Dental Implants Growing In Popularity

No matter how well you take care of your teeth -- and many of us don't -- millions of Americans will end up needing dental work for one reason or another.

As gum disease, decay and other problems take their toll, people start to lose teeth.





"It seems as I'm getting older, my teeth are falling apart, and they're kind of falling apart all at once," said Maureen Woodroffe, a dental implant patient.

Woodroffe and a growing number of patients are choosing to replace their teeth with dental implants, reported WNBC-TV in New York.

"The best way to think of implants are artificial tooth roots, and then we use that as a foundation so we can do single tooth or multiple teeth or stabilizing dentures," said Dr. Steven Schwartz, an oral surgeon in Brooklyn, N.Y.

But before an implant can withstand the intense forces of chewing, bone has to grow up to and around the implant to anchor it. Even with newer implants, that takes a while.

"In many cases, it can be as short as eight weeks or two months given the particular situation," Schwartz said.

But now, a new implant just approved by the Food and Drug Administration uses a new way to get the bone to anchor the implant even sooner.

Like many implants, the surface is roughened so bone has something on which to grab. What's new is that the titanium surface is coated with fluoride, a bone-stimulating element.

As tiny amounts of fluoride are released, bone cells are induced to grow up to and around the implant much more quickly than before.

"There's probably a 30 to 50 percent increase in the rate of healing and the bone bonding to the implants," Schwartz said. "So what it boils down to is your implant will heal faster, and it actually will be a little bit stronger."