Other Implant Systems Hidden Facts

On Dental Implants

• Dental implants are placed into bone cavities prepared with a sequence of increasing diameter drills.
• Each drill rotating between 500-2000 RPM will elevate the bone temperature up to 80°C in spite of constant irrigation. (Rugova et al., Bioengineering 2024)
• Bone cells die when heated above 50°C. (Li et al., J Orthop Res 1999)
• 12 to 20 weeks are needed for the bone to repair itself and for the implant to integrate. (Pandey et al., Biomed Res Int 2022)
• Osteotomies are always oversized because the hands can’t provide linear movement to the drills. In order to gain initial stability, the implants are often conical in shape with oversized threads. Early bone resorption is always observed when bone is compressed. (Li et al., Heliyon 2022)
• 5.4% of all implants initially fail because the bone was injured beyond repair during the drilling. (Nyland et al., JOMI 2024)

On Prosthetic Connections:

• The incidence of screw loosening after 5-7 years is 5% for Single Crown, 15% for Fixed Partial Dentures and higher % for Over-Dentures. (Goodacre et al., Meta Analysis of 40 Studies, J Prosthet Dent 2003)
• Torque drivers lose their calibration due to sterilizations, corrosion, wear and tear. ISO 6789-2 recommends yearly calibration. This recommendation is rarely followed.
• Not all prosthetic screws are designed to stretch under torque in order to increase “Pre-Load”.
• Not all prosthetic screws have a thread coating to obtain a “Loctite Effect”.
• Prosthetic screws are not delivered “Lubricated” which would increase “Pre-Load” significantly.
• The “Implant-Abutment” connection specifications are NOT protected during typical CHAIRSIDE and LABORATORY steps.
• AT THE OFFICE: Implant carriers, healing abutments, impression copings, temporary screws will create some level of “Wear and Tear” to the Implant Connection and Internal Thread.
• AT THE LABORATORY: Multiple engagements on a steel analog, polishing compounds, milling debris will create “Wear and Tear” to the Abutment Connection interface.
• Wear and tear of connection contributes to connection failures.