Nicky M. Hakimi
Anterior Single-Tooth Dental Implant - Current Concepts for Enhanced Aesthetics
No one can argue with the success of dental implants, which often give the clinician predictable options for restoring missing teeth or replacing failing ones. The literature and clinical research have produced successful evidence-based data on surgical procedures, biological factors, and prosthetic principles, which continue to influence and evolve implant dentistry. The goal of this article is to present current concepts of an aesthetic single-tooth implant, with emphasis on current literature and research data.
U.S. Market for Currently 500,000 thousand osseointegrated implants are being placed every year. In 2002 the U.S. Dental Implants and implant market was valued at more than $150 million, with a significant growth rate of 12 percent. A survey Patient Demographics of U.S. dentists showed the number of insertions increased by 80 percent in the past decade.The demand for implant treatment is rising as the increasingly health-conscious baby-boomer generation moves into retirement. Sixty-million Americans are missing one or more teeth and have not had any treatment. By the year 2007, half of today's Americans will be over the age of 50. In fact americans over the age of 45 will comprise the majority of tomorrow's patients.
Historical Perspective In the 1980s the emphasis was on functional implants, hence the principle of osseointegration.The protocol developed by Professor Per-Ingvar Branemark was primarily geared toward fully edentulous patients suffering from dental conditions for which traditional treatments were no longer an option.The fixtures survived, the patients' life quality improved, and dental implants revolutionized the restoration of missing teeth. In May of 1982, Branemark presented 15 years of implant research at the Toronto Conference on Osseointegration in Clinical Dentistry. Soon after clinicians were trained in Branemark's method in Sweden, they began to expand the application of implants to other treatment indications, such as single-tooth and implant-supported prostheses.
In the 1990s implants underwent significant evolution in terms of biomaterials, designs, and surgical and prosthetic techniques. As clinicians offered more dental implants on a routine and elective basis, demand for better aesthetic results grew as well. Implant dentistry experienced a transition from function to aesthetics, with aesthetics enhancing the patient's needs and desires. Giving equal attention to ceramics and soft tissue - rather than the surgical placement of an implant - continues to be the primary focus in the reconstruction of a natural tooth implant. In fact implant dentistry is known to be a prosthetic-driven discipline with a surgical component.
Current Perspective The new millennium offers, I believe, 20 years of research and clinical experience with which to deliver an optimum biological, functional, and aesthetic result. Current understanding of the relationship between bone and soft tissue, papilla height, and advances in implant designs has enabled the clinician to expand into high-profile areas and offer predictable solutions ranging from two-stage implant therapy to one-stage immediate implant (fresh extraction site) placement, provisionalization, and loading.
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Dr. Nicky M Hakimi DDS, Periodontist - Providing services in Periodontal Dentistry to the areas of Roseville and Sacramento, California.
1420 E. Roseville Pkwy, Suite 230 Roseville, CA 95661
Ph. 916.788.1114, Fx. 916.788.1353
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