Impacting Lives
One of the most rewarding benefits of dentistry is being able to impact peoples’ lives. Dental implants, which have experienced dramatic growth in the past decade thanks to advances in systems and components and further knowledge of bone biology, do just that. They enable many patients to eat better, speak more confidently, and enjoy greater comfort.
Our annual thematic issue on implant dentistry is aimed at instructing clinicians in this burgeoning area of the profession. Today’s consumers are more informed, have more choices, and expect greater results than ever before. Throughout this edition of Compendium, leading industry professionals share their insights on techniques and procedures that are intended to provide clinicians fast, minimally invasive implant procedures that achieve not only long-lasting results but also good esthetics—a requisite with today’s educated consumer.
In our continuing education (CE) curriculum, we include a discussion of occlusal concepts in dental implant restorations. What is interesting, the author notes, is that because dental implants are ankylosed, teeth and implants will not remain in the same occlusal relationship over time. Thus, there are a number of occlusal issues to consider when performing implant restorations. Our other CE offers a primer on managing the technical and biologic success of an implant abutment.
In a variety of case reports and clinical technique reviews, we cover topics ranging from advanced immediate functional loading, to masking buccal plate remodeling in the esthetic zone, to proper restorative implant design. Also included is a detailed report discussing flapless extraction and immediate implant placement using CT-guided surgery that involves a CAD/CAM patient-specific abutment and non-occlusal function provisional in a single visit (supporting the “one-abutment, one-time” concept).
Indeed, implant dentistry is evolving. We hope you find this special annual implant issue a valuable resource in your quest to impact your patients’ lives.
