The best dental implants

Why some implants are better than others?

Implants replace lost teeth, restoring a natural, healthy smile. This is vital because gaps can cause your remaining teeth to shift. They can also lead to serious problems in occlusion due to tooth movement. The main factors that determine the quality of implants are as follows:

The manufacturer. We choose products from companies that have developed manufacturing processes with respect to both the purity of the implant surface and the precision of the connection between the prosthetic components. This ensures that the dental implants they produce meet the necessary certification standards. In our clinic we mainly recommend the world’s No1 quality implants Nobel Biocare who are the founding company of the implant manufacturing industry, their implants come with a lifetime guarantee and due to high demand their prices are affordable in relation to the quality of workmanship. This does not mean that we do not use other companies, depending on the patient’s needs. Read our related article on the most trusted tooth implant brands.

Manufucturing. Advanced Implant Clinics chooses components that are proven to be durable and designed to support the same functions as your original natural tooth.

The material. Dental implants should be made of materials that are biocompatible with the body and strong enough to last for years.

Let’s explore what makes up the best dental implant materials used in today’s dental implant world.

What are the best dental implant materials?

Let’s see what are the best dental implant materials used in dentistry today.

For many years, almost all dental implants came exclusively from a single material called titanium. But with the development of technology, more and more dental implants are now made from different materials. Most of them being in the testing stage. These materials go through extensive scientific research, taking into serious consideration the physical and chemical properties that affect their clinical applications. Such properties include the microstructure and surface composition of an implant. It is essential that dental implant materials are biocompatible and resistant to both corrosion and fracture.

The most common dental implant materials used today are titanium and zirconium. At Advanced Implant Clinics, we select and recommend high-quality titanium dental implants to our patients. Find out why.

The advantages of titanium dental implants.

You may have heard of titanium from its use in industry, in airplane parts, or even in popular sporting goods. Titanium:

• It is a metal with low density and high strength.
• It is very resistant to corrosion and is non-magnetic.
• It does not transfer heat or electricity.

Titanium is currently the most popular dental implant manufacturing material. Its excellent characteristic of compatibility with bone was accidentally discovered in 1950. Clinical and laboratory research in the period following the discovery of its properties shows that titanium metal implants allow bone to grow properly around titanium implants. That is, when in direct contact with the bone and without disturbing healing, the bone grows around them. This, in turn, creates a permanent connection between the bone and artificial tooth root (the implant).

Since this discovery, titanium dental implant materials remain the most sought after. They provide long-lasting results and their cost is very reasonable. It is one of the best dental implant materials in continuous use for over 70 years.

Titanium is also the most biocompatible metal for dental implants. The titanium oxide layer on the outside of implants is particularly friendly to osteoblasts (bone-forming cells), so it is not rejected by the human body.

Seamless integration with the jawbone is important. Without a dental implant, the bone in the area of a missing tooth will begin to resorb and atrophy. Over time, this can make the missing tooth even more noticeable and can even affect facial structure.

Titanium dental implants bond to the jaw, replacing the roots of natural teeth and help preserve bone, preserving your smile for years to come.

Zirconium tooth implants

Unlike titanium, zirconium is a recent discovery and its use in implants began in the early 1990s.

But during this period, titanium implant materials were dominating the market.

Many years later, from 2003 onwards it started to become popular and used as a material for tooth implant manufacturing. Although relatively new, zirconium dental implant materials are growing in popularity.

Titanium or Zirconium: What to decide?

As previously mentioned, the two main dental implant materials are titanium and zirconium. Each of these two dental implant materials has its unique characteristics.

For example, titanium has been tested and provides a high success rate in both medical and dental procedures. Its flexibility sets it apart from zirconium. As a metal, titanium has been the first choice in all forms of implants placed in bone. Millions of patients have reaped the benefits of titanium as an implant material.

Here are the reasons why titanium remains better than zirconium as the most effective dental implant material in modern implant dentistry.

Titanium dental implants are usually produced as a two-piece system. These are, a separate prosthetic abutment that is placed on the implant and attached to the artificial prosthetic tooth (socket). The other part is the dental implant itself, which plays the role of the artificial root and is surgically implanted into the bone.

Zirconium implants do not have this logic and are manufactured as a single piece, which significantly limits the prosthetic options.

Again, titanium is the best dental implant material because it is proven to be biocompatible. This means that it is accepted by the human body. Furthermore, it can be integrated with human bone.

The two-piece system of titanium allows us to expand the options we have for prosthetic restoration. This means that even in cases of extensive bone loss you can still have a pleasant smile.

However, zirconium dental implants combine both the artificial root – implant and the prosthetic abutment to create a single unit. This reduces the risk of microbial infiltration at the connection between the different parts, which may affect the long-term health of the gums. Despite this advantage, the material of zirconium and the various designs of the external morphology for the fabrication of dental implants have not yet been fully appreciated by the scientific community. This is due to the fact that they have only recently been created. Thus, unlike titanium dental implant materials, zirconium dental implants have not yet had a sufficient number of clinical investigations.

Does it matter which implant company (brand) (Biocare, Straumann or other) my dentist uses?

The answer is clearly yes, the company that manufactures the titanium implants also plays a role. Titanium implants produced by reputable companies, such as the pioneering Nobel Biocare or Straumann, have absolute precision in the connection between the various parts of the implants, making the use of zirconium implants without any real advantages.

If the implant surgeon has the required specialised knowledge and experience to perform the implantation procedure, if the prosthetic plan is prepared and performed by a prosthodontist-dentist using modern dental laboratories, then the difference in success rates and costs can also be attributed to the implant system-company chosen by the dentist.

Reliable companies such as Nobel Biocare or Straumann produce implants with all the safety and quality standards that implantable materials require in the body. The literature and long-term studies are mainly about Nobel Biocare and secondarily about Straumann, which account for more than 50% of dental implants placed worldwide. There are of course a plethora of other manufacturing companies operating as white label products (mass production in countries with flexible legislation on implant materials, import and packaging in a country with a good reputation for quality – e.g. Switzerland and selling to third countries as “Swiss”). A surface of the implants free of foreign contaminants and an absolute fit (at the millionth of a metre level) of the various components is decisive for the long-term success of the dental implantation.

We offer you the best implants at affordable prices.

If you are still unsure about dental implant materials or the brand to use, we can help you. At your first appointment at Advanced Implant Clinics, we can inform and guide you through the pros and cons of each option in terms of materials, company, and cost. As far as the financial aspect is concerned see what factors determine the cost and prices of implants.

Wanting the best implants is natural. If you are concerned about cost, at our clinic we have been offering top quality materials and services at affordable prices for years. Our consistency in providing high quality services at reasonable costs has led to our Clinic’s high market recognition.

On your first visit ask us about the financing options we offer to make affordable payments, credit and interest-free installments or other solutions. Contact us to schedule an appointment at our Glyfada Clinic in Athens to discuss the options that fit your budget and needs.