I’ve been getting consultations from various dentists about dental implants. The last one I saw said something different from the rest of them that has me curious. He said he has a 100% success rate and that is because he only uses screw-retained implants. Does that really affect the success rate?
Livvie T.
Dear Livvie,
Screw-retained implants are referring to the crown, not the dental implant. Once your implant is successfully integrated into your jaw it’s time to place the crown. Your two choices are screw retained crowns and cemented crowns. The rather significant advantage to them being screw retained is the lack of cement. When a crown is cement bonded, there will always be some cement that seeps out no matter how skilled the dentist is. While they will try to manually remove it, if any gets trapped behind, it could cause bacteria to develop.
Infection is one of the leading causes of dental implant failure. But, having a cement retained crown does not mean there will be an infection. It just gives one additional opportunity for one. There are some cases where you can’t place a screw retained crown without negatively impacting the aesthetic results.
More important than what type of crown is used, in my opinion, is the qualifications of the dentist. Does he or she have significant dental implant training outside of general dental school? Do they have a high success rate? Have you checked their reviews?
If it’s a front tooth, you’ll also want to know they have an artistic eye for the cosmetic side of things. You want the implant crown to be both natural looking and beautiful. It’s imperative it matches seamlessly with your other teeth. Look at their smile galleries to see what kind of cosmetic results they obtain.
I hope this helps you.
This blog is brought to you by Dr. Susan Dennis of Portage, Michigan.