If you have missing teeth, one of the most reliable ways to replace them is with dental implants in Houston, as they present a comprehensive solution unlike any other restorative procedure. Rarely, they do occasionally fail, and the biggest reason is usually because of infection. However, a new dental implant has been developed to help address this exact issue. Today, we’re going to share how it works, and what this means for you.
How Implants Are Impacted by Infection
When a patient comes in to get a dental implant, a small titanium post is placed into their jaw in order to mimic a tooth root. Ideally, after a few months, the surrounding bone will naturally bond to this root. This is one of the most important parts of the process, and is what gives dental implants such a secure hold.
However, while this bonding is happening, it is very common for bacteria to develop around the implant, creating something call biofilm. This biofilm can eventually lead to an infection of the surrounding gums and bone, preventing the implant from fully taking hold. At this point the infection needs to be treated immediately with antibiotics. If it becomes too advanced, the implant may need to be removed altogether.
Thankfully, a group of researchers have developed an implant to help lower the risk of infection.
How These New Implants Work
Scientists based at KU Leuven in Belgium have fabricated an implant that has a small reservoir inside it that slowly releases antibiotics after the post has been placed. This puts the medicine directly in contact with the area where most infections occur, preventing the development of damaging biofilm and increasing the chance of success for the implant.
While this kind of implant post is still made of sturdy materials, it is porous, allowing the antibiotics to slowly release. While this implant has shown promise in studies, it has yet to be used on an actual patient, but researchers are very optimistic about the impact this development could have on implant dentistry.
What This Means For You
If this new kind of implant is shown to work in patients, it would be a tremendous breakthrough. Implants already have a 95% success rate, and this would only make them more reliable. It could also help reduce the healing time needed between the implant placement and restoration because the body won’t be dealing with a potential infection. This means that people will be able to get implants even faster than before, enabling them to restore their smile in less time.
Have Questions?
Just to be clear, while this new kind of implant shows promise, there is still a lot of testing that has to be done before it is something our doctors can offer. We’ll always keep you informed about the latest developments in implant dentistry, and you can be sure that we will utilize the most advanced methods as they become available.
If you have any questions about Houston dental implants in general, or want to know more about the study linked above, please feel free to give us a call.