Archive for the ‘implantology’ Category

Why is treatment performed on a root canal?

Posted by Dental News Team On March - 19 - 2010

Our topic in the next months is root canal treatment and its risks! (2/10)

Today we will talk about why it is necessary to perform treatment on a root canal:

  • The most common reason is a deep cavity.

Cavities are caused by bacteria, and once the bacteria have reached your dental nerve, you start to feel pain, and the dentist has to perform an operation on your root canal. As long as the cavity is still only in your enamel, the early stage of cavities (as shown by the blue arrow in the x-ray), then it can be treated without drilling. But once the cavity reaches the dentine, the dentist has to drill.

  • But the presence of cavities is not the only reason for treating a root canal. Physical damage, eg. caused by overheating during dental work, various chemicals used to make fillings, or paradontitis which has gone untreated for too long can also cause damage to the nerve, and then you also need treatment.

What is commonly called a “dental nerve“ is actually a network of blood vessels, lymph vessels, connective tissue and nerve tissue – a.k.a.the endodont.

Damage to the endodont causes an inflammation, which usually kills it. And just as meat begins to rot when it has been lying around on the kitchen table for too long, the endodont also begins to decay once it is dead.
If the dental nerve was killed by a cavity then you not only have the problem of decaying tissue, but also bacteria, which damage the surrounding bone.

This can be a painful process, or then again you may not feel a thing – the dentist refers to this as pulpitis followed by necrotic pulp.

If the endodont is destroyed it also damages the surrounding jaw bone – but this can be prevented by proper treatment!

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Good dentist, bad dentist

Posted by Dental News Team On February - 22 - 2010

Wouldn’t you like to know whether your dentist is good or bad?

We assume you do, which is why this week we are going to tell you all about what to consider when looking for a dentist and how to find a good one.

As usual, we will provide you with an overview of this week’s main topic!

  1. Good dentist – the cost estimate
  2. Dentists and their teams
  3. Hygiene in the dentist’s office
  4. Explaining procedures
  5. Trouble-shooting

Good dentist – the cost estimate
First of all, does your dentist even bother giving you a cost estimate?
No? Then s/he has no idea what s/he is doing!

If yes, how is the estimate structures?
Did you get a thorough check-up before you got the estimate? You should know what has to be done in your case and what will only be performed to fill the dentist’s pockets. What are we going on about? Well, in order for the dentist to provide you with a good cost estimate, s/he needs to have a good idea of the current status of your teeth and mouth.

If s/he does not bother performing a check-up, then it is likely s/he will only do things that cost a lot, namely implants and crowns.

You can always tell good estimates from bad ones, because good estimates always provide detailed information, which is collected during a check-up (assuming, of course, that your mouth really needs an overhaul, not just one bridge or implant if your teeth and mouth are otherwise healthy, otherwise, what would be the point of collecting data!).

A good cost estimate includes:

  • An anamnesis (medical history) / Patient’s request
  • Findings
  • Diagnosis
  • Recommendations for therapy / Alternatives
  • Description of procedures as needed

This information lets the dentist know what you wish to be done, the condition of your teeth (periodontal status, photos, models of your teeth, …), anything and everything you’ll need to set up a treatment plan.

The cost estimate should consider all kinds of work, even work which is less lucrative to the dentist. This includes fillings, root canal treatment, operations such as removing wisdom teeth, etc.

But this is the kind of work which should usually be done first, before doing more complicated procedures – you should make sure the ground is in good shape before you start building houses on it (crowns, implants etc.).

Summing up, a simple cost estimate can and should tell you quite a lot!

  • If your dentist offers you any treatment without performing a thorough check-up first, then chances are that s/he is only going to do things which cost the most money!
  • If the cost estimate starts out with an extensive check-up, then you’re on the right path!
  • If a cost estimate begins with the least expensive types of treatment (renewed root treatment, removing wisdom teeth, periodontal work, …) with dentures (crowns, bridges) last on the list, then stick with that dentist!

More on this topic tomorrow, and by the end of the week you should be able to tell a good dentist from all others!

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Differences in dental implants

Posted by Dental News Team On February - 4 - 2010

The good in your jaw, the bad in …?

Is there just one good implant system, or are all equally good?
Generally, it can be said that the systems currently on the market are by and large the same when it comes to effects on bone healing.
Although implant manufacturers advertise exceptional surfaces which supposedly speed up the healing process for bone, in practice and as shown by studies there is hardly any noticeable or proven difference. Depending on the quality of bone, dental implants take 0-3 months to heal completely, and even a little longer after operations involving bone reconstruction.


When it comes to quality, what matters is the design of implant crowns. The dental crown is not directly connected to the implant, but rests on an intermediate layer, called an abutment (the red arrow in the picture).
The abutment is usually set onto the implant and screwed into place. This connection has its weak points, however. Some companies, such as Astra or Ankylos opted for a conical connection – and they turned out to be right!
More on this topic here !
Source: 2009_Implant-Systeme (Implant-systems)

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Implants, Bone reconstruction, Upper jaw

Posted by Dental News Team On November - 26 - 2009

What happens when a dental implant sticks out into the maxillary sinus?

ausgangssituationImplants and bone reconstruction!
In order for dental implants to hold securely you need to have enough bone. But if a patient has been missing teeth for too long or suffered periodontitis, often there is not enough bone left in the upper jaw. An operation designed to reconstruct bone – called a sinus lift –  has to be performed before implanting.

Bone reconstruction in the upper jaw
Despite the most careful planning, implants sometimes end up sticking out into the maxillary sinus. Patients must be informed, as a lot of them get dental implants without realizing that the maxillary sinus got damaged in the process.

kieferhoehle_implantateIs there a greater risk of losing an implant?
Sinus infections may represent a risk, even during a common head cold, implants may get infected due to the lack of a protective bone layer. Then you can lose an implant.
The picture shows a patient with implants in her upper jaw (to the right in the picture). The implants (black) clearly stick out into the maxillary sinus (blue). The patient was not told about this problem – even though the implants stuck out from the very beginning. The operation took place three years ago, right now there are no inflammations around the implants – but there are some in the rest of the teeth!

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Dental implants and bone reconstruction

Posted by Dental News Team On November - 23 - 2009

Using donor bones for bone reconstruction?

knochenWhen a patient has gone without teeth for a long time or suffered from bouts of inflammation, the part of the upper and lower jaw-bones which support teeth has often been found to recede, leading to a diagnosis of „alveolar atrophy“.

Dental implants can no longer be inserted into the bone which is left, as this may cause damage to nerves and sinuses. The only solution is bone reconstruction, using either bone from the patient’s own body, or other materials.

Using bone from other places in the patient’s body involves performing additional operations, which is why many doctors prefer using other materials. As you may have read in the various articles we have written on the subject of „Bone reconstruction“ human bone heals much better than artificial products.

But where can you get human bone?

Human bone – or tissue in general – is taken either from corpses or is a by-product left over after operations (e.g. a fracture of the neck of the femur). There are strict laws in place for regulating and monitoring the removal of tissue and bone. For example, doctors cannot just take products left over after an operation without the consent of the patient, as legally this is still the „property“ of the patient.


Each country has its own laws with regard to corpses. Many countries have a donor database, in which people who want to donate have to sign up while they are still alive, so that organs and tissue can be legally removed after they die.

Other countries (such as Austria), take the opposite tack. They keep a list of objectors, meaning that organs and tissue can be removed from just about anybody after their death, who did NOT put their name on this list while they were alive

Although this may seem somewhat macabre to you, it should be obvious that this makes for a lot more organs and tissue and human life saved by organ transplants or ailments alleviated by tissue transplants. It should also be pointed out that these „removals“ may only be performed by institutions registered with and monitored by the government!

Whatever option appeals to you more from an ethical point of view, biological material shows much better results than does artificial material.

So what’s your opinion on using human bone?

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