Understanding Dental Implants
Dental implants are typically made from titanium. These screws are drilled into your jawbone by a dental surgeon. The implant then has to fuse with the natural jawbone to form the artificial root for a tooth. The dental crown and an abutment are placed on an implant, so it must form a stable foundation for the new tooth. Unlike dental crowns, dental implants are not custom designed for patients. However, the size and length of the dental implant may have to differ based on how dense your jawbone is. You can seek an implant brand to get what you need based on these factors. While some dental implants enjoy better reputations than others, the brand name doesn’t determine the outcome of the surgery.
How Do Dental Implants Differ Anyway?
For most dental patients, there really isn’t a different between dental implants. Aren’t they all titanium screws that go into your jaw? Pretty much, yes. However, dental implants can physical differ between different brands. Some dental implants are narrow, while others are longer or thicker. Some dentists may specifically recommend a brand depending on where in your mouth the implant goes. For example, for front teeth off the upper jaw, your dentist may recommend a narrow dental implant from a particular brand. However, the actual differences between dental implants are largely technical. As a patient, you may not necessarily understand how a particular implant’s design affects the surgery itself. You should ask your dentist or oral surgeon about whether the branded designs ultimately matter to your care. Regardless of the brand, dental implants in general have around a 95 percent success rate on paper. As long as the dentist uses an FDA-approved implant, it should succeed as expected. You could check dental implant prices from our prices page.
Most Famous Dental Implant Brands
There are numerous dental implants, but two names usually stand out: Nobel Biocare and Straumann. These brands are considered the gold standard in dental implants. You can learn more below:
Nobel Biocare is probably the best known dental implant brand in the world. The company was the first to introduce the commercial dental implant, once one of its scientists, Per-Ingvar Brånemark’s, invented the implant system to replace missing teeth in the 1960s.
Dentists around the world widely use Nobel dental implants because these products are highly credible. For the past fifty years or so, doctors and scientists have carefully documented how well these implants performed. The stability of the implant is well established.
All Nobel BioCare implants are made from high-quality, commercial grade 4 rated titanium. These implants are cold worked during the design process. So, the metal is known to be highly durable and sturdy.
Some Nobel implants are treated on the surface with a coating that increases its surface area. It allows the implant to get infused with the jawbone faster. The brand offers a 10-year guarantee for any dental implant.
Nobel Biocare offers several different types of dental implants under its main brand name. Here’s an overview: Brånemark System—Nobel sells implants ranging from 7 to 52.5 mm under this brand name. This implant retains the original design invented in 1965, which improves versatility. This is the most well-documented and credible implant system in the world.
NobelSpeedy—This is the original Nobel dental implant. It’s popularly used in the All-on-4 multi-tooth implant system. NobelSpeedy has a unique design that provides better bicortical anchorage and allows quick and efficient insertion. This dental implant is also widely researched and has plenty of documentation to support its efficiency levels. NobelActive—This implant offers two main features: high levels of stability and excellent aesthetic appeal. This particular implant may suit you if you have low bone density or compromised bone structures.
NobelReplace CC—Like Active above, Replace offers high rates of stability and good aesthetic appeal. It might suit front side tooth replacements. The NobelReplace Conical Connection—This implant has a tapered body and a tight-sealed connection. It’s intended to offer aesthetic solutions under any type of oral condition. NobelParallel CC—This implant is marketed as having a “straightforward design and application.” The implant is considered flexible for use by both experienced and new implant surgeons.
NobelReplace Tapered—Also marketed under NobelReplace Select Tapered, this implant is considered an “easy to use” variety. It offers four options for flexibility so that treatment can go as planned. Nobel Biocare is essentially the go-to brand for dental implants, especially in Europe. However, the famous brand is also quite pricey, so you might want to ask your dentist for alternative recommendations.
Straumann
Straumann is a leading dental implant brand, just like Nobel BioCare. This brand international quality standards for dental implants. More importantly, these implants are clinically supported by research. The company creates several dental implant solutions, and each is clinically approved.
This is a Swiss brand known for high quality and precision. The implants are made from a property material called Roxolid, known for stability. All Straumann implants are made from high-strength material.
Some dentists prefer Straumann implants for strength and reliability. The company boasts some 14 million Straumann in implants in use. This brand is unique in the sense that it creates the standard titanium dental implants, but also a ceramic model.
There are three types of Straumann implants:
StandardTaperedStandard Plus
You might want to consider tapered implants to reduce healing time. The brand boasts that its implants can generate a better tissue response after the surgery. Straumann also designs the abutments, the connectors, which go with implants during the artificial crown placement procedure.
Other Notable Dental Implant Brands
Other than the above mentioned two, there are dozens of other dental implants. Here’s a brief overview of the most popular:
Mode
Mode dental implants are considered more economical than other major brands. These implants can be obtained in custom screw sizes to suit the unique condition of your jawbone. Despite the lower price tag, the success rate for these is the same. This brand is used quite popularly in Europe.
BioHorizon
These implants have a signature one-piece design. Dentists prefer these implants for their accuracy level. Also, these implants are said to “snap in place” and thus might be easier to insert. The titanium of these implants is color coded. The implants are 9.5mm in length by default, but dentists can change its height accordingly.
MegaGen
MegaGen standard implants are used when you have good bone density. These implants can go in the front teeth as single units as well. They have unique characteristics you might prefer. While these implants are not really used in postextraction procedures, if your tooth has been missing for more than 3 months, you might want to ask your dentist about these.
MIS
These implants are wider in diameter than usual and are relatively thick. These screws can provide strength and support more than any other. These implants are used in both front and back teeth. Because of the increased thickness, these implants may suffice if you have lower bone density. The above are just a few used by dentists. Your dentist may know many other brands that you can discuss along with the above ones.
Using Local Dental Implants
The dental implants mentioned in the above section are internationally recognized and approved brands. They are widely used in Europe and North America. However, there could be local brands of dental implants that your the dentist may prefer to use. Local dental implants are not necessarily low-quality per se. However, the FDA or any other relevant regulatory authorities might not have approved some local varieties. You have to be aware of such rogue implant varieties. If your dentist recommends it, it might be worthwhile considering it. Branded dental implants are well known by all legitimate dentists. Therefore, if you travel overseas for dental implants, for example, ask for a branded variety over a local one. It will remove any uncertainly about what goes in your mouth.
You may want to consider a local dental implant to save money on a branded variety. But it’s best not to. Unless your doctor recommends it, it would be worthwhile to spend money on branded dental implants to enjoy warranties, durability, and higher stability elements.
How Much Does Implant Brand Matter to Your Surgery?
As mentioned above, dental implants have pretty much the same success rate. Therefore, the brand shouldn’t really matter to your surgery. There are three features you might want to consider though:
StabilitySafetyReliability
With a brand like Nobel BioCare, you can enjoy all three of these features, whereas a local brand might be dubious on all these points. You can ask your dentist whether you should choose a particular brand depending on the features it offers. Additionally, choose a brand with a lot of clinical documentations. These brands have proven success rates compared to an obscure, local implant version. When it comes to your health, you can’t afford to take risks. You should always choose a dental implant with a lot of scientific backing.
Is There a “Best” Dental Implant?
When you go in for any health device, you would definitely want the best in the market. Does the same apply to dental implants? Not necessarily. Some dentists may swear by huge implant brands like Nobel BioCare and Straumann. These brands have been in the implant business since the beginning. As a result, these implants have been tested over and over. So you can expect higher quality results.
But that doesn’t necessarily make these brands the “best” in the industry. There are several other factors that go into the success of an implant surgery, it’s difficult to pinpoint the best care on a single brand. It really depends on your personal needs as well.
As a general rule, you can consider “best” implants the ones that have been accepted by regulatory authorities. Then you know that these implants work as intended and aren’t counterfeit in any way.
Choosing the Right Dental Implant for You
When choosing a dental implant brand, consider the following:Whether the dental implant’s success rate is clinically backed up by science. This is very important to avoid sales talk and unrealistic expectations.Ask your dentist whether the implant comes with a warranty.Discuss the shape and size of each implant. It should allow you to understand whether your existing jawbone allows for a thicker implant or a small one.Discuss the costs of the implant.Ask your dentist for local dental implants that might match your budget. Make sure you choose the right brand before you fret over money. Keep in mind that the brand of the dental implant you choose doesn’t necessarily affect the surgical outcome of the procedure. The success of your implant process largely depends on the skill of the surgeon.
While it’s recommended to invest in a high-end dental implant brand, the brand type doesn’t make the jawbone fuse with the dental implant faster either. Some brands may design fusion friendly implants. But that doesn’t necessarily mean the implants work as intended inside your mouth.However, cheap, local implants may not last in your mouth. A well-known brand, on the other hand, offers excellent durability. Some brands, like Nobel, even offer near lifetime guarantees for the implant. This is a major advantage in case the implant fails.You can choose a dental implant brand based on cost. Though you should really choose a brand depending on what the dentist recommends. The implant brand affects the dentist as well as the patient. As you may have read above, some implants have easy-to-insert features based on the brand. Your dentist may prefer such brands depending on his or her surgical style.So choose the brand carefully, after considering the above facts. Do distinguish between marketing claims and real facts when choosing your implant.
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