Electronic Health Reporter

A good set of teeth makes all the difference, not just for the purpose of smiling, but it also has a huge impact on self-esteem and overall confidence. Having broken, missing or unsightly looking teeth makes it hard for people to express themselves effectively and clearly.

As more and more people are realizing the importance of dental health and its impact on their lives, whether at a personal or professional level, an increasing number of people are also deciding to get dentures, dental implants, braces and other dental appliances.

With this in mind, it is not surprising to know that according to the American Academy of Implant Dentistry, the dental implant and prosthetic business in the United States is projected to reach a lucrative estimate of $6.4 billion by the end of 2018.

The dental implant industry has been consistent in making breakthroughs and finding more innovative ways to improve the overall quality and standards of its products. Indeed, the recent developments in dental technology make getting dental implants more and more attractive for consumers. Here are just some of the most recent innovations in the field of implant dentistry.

Computer-designed implants

For every dental implant procedure, the ultimate goal is to have satisfactory bone stability. This is because with the current state of dental technology, crestal bone loss is still an unavoidable result. As a consequence, bone resorption and/or bone loss still poses a threat to successful dental implants, especially to short dental implants.

With this ultimate goal in mind, clinicians and dental practitioners have long researched different approaches that can be taken to avoid bone loss. According to recent studies, a new development is now seeing the light, with dental implants that can encourage zero bone loss with the usage of computer aided design and computer aided manufacturing (CAD-CAM).

This technology aims to create exact duplicates of the missing teeth which can immediately be replaced in the mouth. Once the defective biological tooth comes out, the replica is then placed in the empty space. The best thing about this technology is that it offers patients a symptom-free healing process, which also in turn is advantageous for dentists as it gives them a more effective and efficient way to create dental implants.

Antibacterial coating

Another new breakthrough in dental technology has seen the possibility of developing an antibacterial dental implant coating product. This innovation, while still not widely available, will definitely increase the longevity of dental implants.

Food with a high acid content can cause extensive acid erosion to the dental enamel on not only natural teeth but dental implants as well. This is because the compounds that dental implants are made from aim to mimic natural teeth. But with this recent development, dental implant patients are given more freedom to drink and eat things they want without the threat of destroying or damaging their dental implants.

Currently, a dental implant can last for as long as 20 years, compared to the lifespan of dentures which usually only last up to 7 years. When combined with a consistent oral hygiene regimen, this promising possibility could potentially result in a permanent dental implant that can last a lifetime.