Most Popular Implant Q&A Posts

I use the Summers Lift even when the implant fixtures extend over 2mm in to the sinus. I have not yet experienced complications from this approach. Am I pushing this technique too far?

An immediate postoperative periapical radiograph was taken and in it the implant seems to have protruded through the sinus floor about 2-3 mm.

Patient was referred for an implant surgery in #2 area. He was presented with 6mms of vertical height loss, 7mms of ridge width and 7mms of residual ridge height below sinus.

I had to place implants into an alveolar ridge where there was sharp knife edge ridge.

My oral surgeon was discussing the first few cases we are doing together and I am not following when he starts talking about bone level implant here and tissue level implant there.

What are your recommendations? Go with Cantilever or two implants?

Do all abutment screws eventually loosen and have to be re-tightened?

Are there any materials that can be mixed and applied over the graft to harden and contain the graft material? Is there a reasonable alternative to barrier membranes?

I am only doing simple implant cases. How do I best protect myself from potential lawsuits from implant surgery?

I am now considering going back to the way I used to do immediate placement, but using extra-wide implants – 8-9mm wide implants.

According to a periodontist at my implant study club, the evidence for justifying the platform switching protocol is lacking.

Bone grafting at the time of extraction adds the cost of the graft and membrane. But if later a block graft is required to develop the site for implant placement, that is even more costly and may entail two surgical procedures.

I have read about PRP and PRGF and have attended lectures on the subject. It seems like the literature establishes a strong case for the benefits of using these in bone grafts to enhance regeneration and healing.

I have treatment planned her for the insertion of a narrow platform implant. I would then place another temporary crown and later a porcelain fused to metal crown. Will this work?

I am really not sure about this because sometimes the radiograph looks like there is adequate bone and then after I reflect the flap I see that the buccal cortical plate is very thin or dehisced. When this happens I usually go to a 3.5mm implant fixture to makes sure that I have enough bone volume.

What is the current thinking on grafting extraction sites? My understanding is that if the buccal cortical plate is intact there is no need to graft.

I have seen a ton of articles in the peer reviewed literature supporting the use of all-on-4 implant design. But what do you experienced practitioners who have used the system say about its longevity and durability?

Are there any true absolute contra-indications for small diameter implants as compared to conventional dental implants?

A recent article concluded that if case selection was appropriate and some modifications in technique were used that natural teeth could be connected to dental implants.

My surgeon has told me that after he does these procedures I will have to wait 9 -12 months for the bone grafts to completely heal before he can go in and place the implant fixtures.

Tooth #8 was treated with a root canal, post and crown and has fractured vertically. The tooth needs to be extracted and replaced with an implant. I’d like to do immediate placement.

I was wondering if I would decrease my chance for post-operative infection if I mix an antibiotic with the bone graft material?

How long do you have to wait after a hip graft before placement of implants in the maxilla?

There is no current consensus on the treatment of asymptomatic foreign bodies on the sinus. Does the patient really need to have it removed? Is it medically necessary?

I have read about splitting the ridge to increase bone volume at the recipient site instead of doing a block graft on the buccal of the cortical bone.