Planning for gold standard dental implant outcomes
Featured Products Promotional FeaturesPosted by: Dental Design 11th February 2022
Dental implants have become a viable option within many dental practices. Despite their soaring popularity, potential risks and complications could affect the final outcome. How can these issues be minimised?
Nowadays, there is a wealth of choice regarding dental implant systems, biomaterials and techniques – choosing what is appropriate is crucial to ensure optimal and successful treatment outcomes. The materials chosen should also take into account the patient’s anatomical features, their expectations and aesthetic goals. Will the materials achieve these ambitions? Will they be functional and durable?
Dr Daniel Benson’s dental implant procedure records show an overall success rate of 98.5%, and since 2018 he has provided life-changing dental implant treatments for his patients at NEW LIFE TEETH. Daniel’s ADI Webinar – Implant Site Management Step-By-Step: From Simple Cases to Complex Scenarios – delves into treatment solutions, decision strategies and compromised dental implant sites and the relevant treatment steps. For both simple and complex cases, devising a suitable plan, that utilises appropriate systems and materials, could determine the success of the outcome. Daniel comments:
“It’s important to acknowledge that the criteria of success in today’s dental implantology are more complex than simply focusing on the dental implant’s survival.
“To have confidence in our treatment prescriptions, and to apply the techniques predictably in practice, we must ask ourselves: are we using the right treatment planning principles, and/or the right material for the case? For cases that haven’t reached an optimal outcome, the treatment planning, unfortunately, is usually partly to blame.
“This is why I believe it’s vitally important to further our knowledge in this field – that is what success can essentially boil down to, confidence and knowledge. A lack of either, in this case, may cause a dentist to either exclude dental implant treatment as part of the treatment planning options, or inadvertently accept a compromised result, which would affect the long-term success of the dental implant and restoration.”
An example of a compromised end result may be, especially in advanced surgical scenarios, recessive bone resorption leading to tissue shrinkage. In these scenarios, the aesthetic outcome may be affected, as well as the immediate and long-term stability of the dental implant. The patient experience may also be compromised if the clinician is unfamiliar or uncertain about techniques that involve single surgery, leading to a second surgery, prolonged healing, greater discomfort and longer treatment times. Confident and informed dental professionals, with a proper treatment plan, may be able to prevent these negative side-effects by using more suitable concepts and products that ensure the treatment’s success and encourage a positive patient experience.
These and many other issues can be overcome or avoided altogether when a clinician has knowledge of all the potential treatment options and the ability to plan treatment accordingly. Daniel explains:
“Let’s take the issue of bone loss: contour grafting may be used to reduce buccal contour loss in the aesthetic zone, using hard tissue materials or thickening the peri-implant soft tissue with soft tissue graft materials.
“Here, at a fundamental level, we are aiming to reverse or even delay the contour loss caused by remodelling to protect our dental implants and restoration, ultimately for longer-lasting results for our patients. The utilisation of the right treatment planning principles is the place to start!
“Some would call it ‘backward planning’ – I personally don’t like this phrase very much. However, I do understand that it suggests the need for a vision, to be able to build up the end result in mind first so we can find the right way forward. There may be multiple ways to arrive at the same final outcome, but with effective treatment planning you can find the approach that best works for you and your patients’ needs.”
In the UK, the process of planning with the end result in mind is often referred to as ‘prosthetically-driven treatment planning’, and it is a concept that is growing within the profession. When there are issues that can complicate the positioning of the dental implant, such as defects in the alveolar bone, devising a sufficient prosthetically-driven treatment plan can help achieve the optimal restorative result. It is also a great way of improving treatment acceptance and maximising patient satisfaction.
Interested in improving your treatment plans?
For more ideas and expert advice in the field, members of the ADI can access Daniel’s webinar for free on the website. There is a range of enlightening sources and riveting material that will prove essential to those looking to develop their knowledge and skills in dental implantology, taking their career further. This is just one benefit of ADI membership – to discover the many others available, visit the website for details.
Treatment planning is an important initial step in dental implant site management, ensuring reliable outcomes. Planning for and minimising potential risks means the treatment will have a higher success rate, thus delivering reliable results to patients. After all, it is patient happiness that makes all the meticulous planning worth it!
For more information about the ADI, or to join, please visit the website
