Access to Enhanced Dental implant Outcomes – Tim Bradstock-Smith
NewsPosted by: Dental Design 4th December 2017
As a result of increased patient demand, more practices are now providing implant dentistry than ever before. Major advancements in research and development, as well as technology, materials, dental implant designs and surgical techniques that have made implant surgery safer and more predicable. Consistently high levels of growth have been predicted in the dental implant market and overall, the future for an implant dentist is extremely favourable.
Nevertheless, an upward trend has also been observed in the number of claims and complaints involving dental implant treatment over recent years, and there is still the age-old problem of unrealistic patient expectations to contend with.
Many individuals still regard dental implant therapy as the ultimate solution, devised to prevent any further dental problems. They fully expect implants to be successful, often without realising their responsibilities in terms of oral hygiene and long-term maintenance. Clinicians must ensure that patients understand the risks of implant surgery including nerve injury, to gain fully informed consent but also, practitioners that place dental implants need to conduct comprehensive pre-operative treatment planning and provide appropriate post-operative monitoring and on-going maintenance therapy.
Patient selection of course, remains crucial and practitioners need to manage expectations carefully. Unfortunately, some patients are still unaware that just like natural teeth, dental implants can still become affected by plaque. Individuals must be committed to fastidious levels of oral hygiene to successfully prevent bacterial contamination and maintain the health of the gingiva and subgingival areas. Clinicians must explain to patients that the connective tissue fibres surrounding dental implants are susceptible to plaque accumulation. If these deposits are not adequately cleared away, irritation and inflammation of the soft tissues can develop, which can lead to peri-implant disease and possibly implant failure.
Along with inadequate oral hygiene, immunosuppression, poorly controlled diabetes and smoking have the potential to negatively affect healing times and the success of dental implant surgery. In addition, patients with a history of periodontitis are most vulnerable to biological complications including peri-implant mucositis and peri-implantitis and implant survival rates may be lower in these patients. As clinicians are well aware, every case is different and can present a wide range of variables, some of which may require advanced surgical preparation, enhancement, grafts or augmentation prior to implant placement. In addition, there are some patients that experience recurrent complications that need specialised surgery or attention to reach a feasible, lasting solution.
With this in mind, a successful result almost always relies on a team of dental professionals with the specific skills, experience and technology needed, to plan and execute the most suitable treatment pathways and aftercare procedures. Understandably, not every practice has these facilities or resources available in house but by forming a professional partnership with a centre of dental excellence such as the London Smile Clinic, the abilities of the dental team can be expanded.
The London Smile Clinic is a referral centre with a team of highly qualified and experienced clinicians available to support general dentists and their patients. Using state of the art technology, Implant Surgeon, Zaki Kanaan and other specialist dental professionals can take on complex cases and work collaboratively as part of your team. Practitioners can refer all or just part(s) of the treatment to the London Smile Clinic but most importantly, referring dentists are kept fully informed throughout all procedures and patients are always returned to their dentist for on-going, continuing care.
With a streamlined route to the advanced technology, skills and support of referral centre, you can enhance your provision of care, outcomes and levels of patient satisfaction.
For more information, please contact 020 7255 2559 or
visit www.londonsmile.co.uk/refer
iData Reserch. Europe Markets for Dental Implants, Final Abutments and Computer Guided Surgery 2015 – MedSuite. https://www.idataresearch.com/product/europe-markets-for-dental-implants-final-abutments-and-computer-guided-surgery-2015-medsuite/ [Accessed 10th October 2017]
Leo Briggs. June 2015. Claims for dental implants rise by 41 per cent. DDU Journal. http://www.theddu.com/press-centre/press-releases/claims-for-dental-implants-rise-by-41-per-cent [Accessed 10th October 2017]
Simonis P et al. Long-term implant survival and success: a 10-16-year follow-up of non-submerged dental implants. Clin Oral Implants Res. 2010 Jul; 21(7): 772-7. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20636731 [Accessed 10th October 2017]
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