Q&A Advice on Dental Implants

For some implant systems and in some countries, implants may be guaranteed for life. How do you feel about giving a guarantee for dental implants that you install?

We place the Z System’s zirconium oxide implants and have had relatively good success. What I am trying to understand is why not all of them succeed.

I have a new dental implant patient who presents with a history of leukemia and a bone marrow transplant. He is currently suffering from graft versus host disease.

Should we now be revising our traditional approach to the retention of questionable or marginal teeth and leaning more toward extraction and replacement with implants?

I now have been referred a patient who has a Screw-Vent 10mm implant placed around 20 years ago with the abutment fracturing 17 years ago. With word getting out that I remove these screws this patient has presented to my office.

With all these other graft materials available, and their proven efficacy, is there still justification for creating a second surgical site to harvest an autogenous graft?

One of the most difficult challenges is the management of the atrophic or deficient maxillary anterior ridge.

With the advent of MIAMBE (Minimally Invasive Antral Membrane Balloon Elevation), another technique is being used with success that offers advantages and disadvantages.

The instructor recommended using hollow osteotomy drills with internal irrigation with cold water.

I have encountered a number of cases where this could produce a better prosthetic result if I can be confident that splinting natural teeth to implants can be successful.

The extraction of teeth prior to implant installation has received a great deal of attention in recent years because of the impact on site preservation.

I recently did my first narrow diameter implant case using 4 Atlas narrow body implants. The Atlas implant in #26 area was exuding purulence

I have a patient with high aesthetic demands for a single cement retained crown on an implant… After 5 months, the patient experiences pain on an intermittent basis.

I have had good success in the maxillary posterior areas with laying flaps that are passively retained over ridge areas where I have done bone augmentation… In the posterior mandible I have not been able to do this.

There has been considerable interest in using mesenchymal stem cells and pluripotent cells for bone
regeneration. This is especially important for use in stimulating bone regeneration in extractions sites.

I have treatment planned some sinus lift procedures using a lateral window approach. If I tear a hole in the membrane, what is the best way to treat this?

How long should I wait after she stops the Actonel before I place the dental implants?

Despite many advances, peri-implantitis and implant mucositis continue to be problems that are difficult or impossible to resolve.

Recently I have been using sintered cobalt chrome metal frameworks for implant restorations. Do you think this is a viable alternative to titanium?

There are a number of different philosophies concerning treatment planning options for supporting molar crowns.

With the increasing accuracy of CBCT scans and the increasing accuracy of surgical guide stent fabrication, there is more and more emphasis on flapless implant fixture installation.

In terms of risks and benefits, what indicators are you currently using in your practice to assure maximum success and minimal chance of complications for immediate placement?

Dental implants can increase the efficiency and expediency of many kinds of orthodontic therapy and the use of implants for this purpose is growing very rapidly.

I attempted a maxillary sinus lift through a lateral window approach and unfortunately I tore the membrane. What is the best course of action now?

With the advent of dental implants and site development surgery, treatment plans have become far more complex and far more expensive. What case presentation and case acceptance strategies have worked well for you?