Platelet-rich fibrin can be used to enhance healing in sinus graft procedures, soft-tissue grafting and periodontal procedures, extraction site healing, and bone grafting procedures. This autologous-derived addition to the surgical site is relatively easy to produce with a simplified process that takes just minutes.
My mentor, Dr. Carl Misch, used to talk about dental implants from the perspective of how they are replacing millions of years of evolution. In Implants Today this month, I would like to talk about future trends in implant dentistry, and how they are respecting Dr. Misch’s analogy to adequately honor that immense task of effective evolutionary replacement.
There are many areas of implant dentistry that must be analyzed and tweaked for improvement to meet this lofty goal of equaling the results of so many years of evolution and its biological success. This includes both biological aspects and mechanical aspects. From a biological level, the advances in platelet-rich fibrin (PRF), which accelerates healing through concentrating platelets in a centrifuge, are one example. In my practice, almost every surgical procedure includes a blood draw and placement of PRF. PRF can be used to enhance healing in sinus graft procedures, soft-tissue grafting and periodontal procedures, extraction site healing, and bone grafting procedures. This autologous-derived addition to a surgical site is relatively easy to produce with a simplified process that takes just minutes. There are many courses and articles available to learn about this protocol so that the clinician can then implement the technique into clinical practice. From a biological level, this is a true advancement and it definitely has been shown to increase the success rate in implant dentistry.
Another biological advancement is the awareness of the effects of pharmacological drugs that our patients are taking. Recently, literature has shown that some antidepressants can have a negative effect on implant success. This, in addition to the known effects of drugs taken for osteoporosis, can impact implant success, pointing out the importance of the biological/pharmacological relationship and how it will certainly be a future trend to look at with implant dental treatment.
This month, we have 3 articles that show the importance of mechanical advancements with respect to future trends in implant dentistry and achieving better success. Dentistry Today Advisory Board Member Dr. Natalie Wong discusses how to improve primary stability using a treatment protocol that includes the technique of osseodensification. This article not only points out the value of implant treatment using a guide but shows how drill burs that specifically condense the bone can help with implant success. Lab technician Conrad Rensburg, with clinical work done by Drs. David Hedgcoe and Gary Jones, talks about screw-retained implants as the future trend of implant dentistry and shows the mechanical advantages of a screw-retained custom abutment with an angled screw channel. The third article this month is by Dr. Joseph Massad et al who explain and demonstrate how the new LOCATOR R-Tx attachment has many advantages for the clinician and the patient.
If you have any questions or comments about this topic, or any other subject presented in Implants Today, feel free to contact Dr. Tischler at mt@tischlerdental.com.
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