A dental implant is a prosthetic “root” inserted into the jawbone to replace the root of a tooth. An implant is a great way of replacing a missing tooth/teeth and can also preserve the jaw bone. Dental implants not only support a single tooth, it can also support dentures for better stability. With most recent state of the art CAD-CAM technology, the precision fitting between crowns/dentures with a dental implant ensures the better aesthetics and longevity of the implant. There are many types of implants. The choice is Metal or Ceramic.
Metal Implants
These are mixtures of metals mostly titanium and other metals. The type we use we use is Ankylos Implants made in Germany, which are smaller implants with a long history of success. They are made of titanium and iron. Metals can conduct electricity and may not be for everyone. Some patients have sensitive systems. Patients with lots of medical issues need them addressed first and evaluated. An alkaline system is ok for metal implants in my book. I recommend removal of amalgam fillings before doing metal implants.
Ceramic Implants
We were the first surgery in Australia to start Ceramic Implants and to put it through TGA over 10 years ago called Z systems (https://zsystems.com/en.html). Originally they were a one-piece implant and had many challenges but now has evolved into also 2-piece implants which allows the implants to be buried under the gum and give faster integration and success. The integration with bone is slower than metal implants but long term more favourable and kinder to the tissue as there is no ionisation occurring or no electrical activity.
