You have decided to replace that missing tooth!
You are certain that a removable denture is not the right solution for you!
You found out that you want to go with an implant to replace the lost tooth but you don’t want metal parts inserted in your body!
You are wondering if a METAL-FREE implant made of Zirconia ceramic would be a HEALTHIER possibility and would be a much better match for your natural teeth!
You just want that tooth back without all the trouble caused by dentures and bridges – the feel should be as close to a natural tooth as possible.
To help you getting all the relevant information together, let us review all the options of filling a gap in your teeth:
Until now there were 3 options:
- BRIDGE: The teeth adjacent to the missing tooth are ground down and a fixed bridge is made. Many times this is not the ideal choice especially when these teeth are intact or when the space between them is too large.
PRO: Esthetically acceptable, fixed.
CON: higher risk of root canal treatment of adjacent teeth due to extensive grinding. Expensive. Hard to clean underneath. - TITANIUM IMPLANTS: these have a long track record but recently titanium has been implicated in causing autoimmune disorders. Moreover, many people are trying to stay away from metals implanted in their jaw-bones.
PRO: adjacent teeth are preserved. Durable.
CON: Expensive. Health concerns due to titanium. Esthetic challenges in the front tooth area. - PARTIAL DENTURES: Constructing a removable partial denture or “flipper” is very conservative, however most people would understandably reject the idea, not mentioning the awkwardness and discomfort associated in wearing it. It is mostly indicated for multiple teeth missing, or if all other options are not feasible.
PRO: conservative, non-invasive, adjustable, removable, easy to clean or repair, fully reversible.
CON: Feeling of “foreign body” in mouth, not fixed, difficult to keep in, chewing difficulty, impaired taste.
After the FDA approval last year, we now have a fourth option – METAL-FREE Zirconia implants. These have been used in Europe for over a decade. They boast excellent biocompatibility and stability. They may not be suitable in some cases, they are, however, an excellent and healthier option.
A few of the advantages of these implants are:
- HOLISTIC: for absolute metal-free dentistry Zirconia is the only viable choice. No longer is it necessary to implant Titanium or any other metal in order to have fixed teeth.
- AESTHETIC: The Titanium implant creates a dark line around the gum. As Zirconia is white these unattractive coloration disappears.
- HYGIENIC: Ceramic implants and crowns promote healthier gums because they retains less plaque and calculus than Titanium.
- BIOCOMPATIBLE: As an inert material Zirconium has very low allergic potential.
- STRENGTH: Zirconia has a flexible strength and withstands pressure that is ten times the water pressure at the deepest point of the ocean (or ten thousand times the atmospheric pressure.)
- BONE-INTEGRATION: Numerous studies in Germany and the USA confirmed that Zirconia implants have a high level of bone-to-implant contact, meaning that the jaw bone will bond with the implant very well resulting in firmly seated implants.
This illustration of Zirconia (left) and titanium (right) tooth implants clearly shows the simplicity of the Zirconia implant in comparison to the traditional metal implant. Simplicity is certainly a big advantage because the fewer the parts, the less can go wrong.
One argument against metal in your body that most of us can relate to – have you ever accidentally bitten on a piece of aluminum foil? – If so, you know why you don’t want metals in your mouth!
Call us to schedule a FREE IMPLANT EVALUATION to determine if you are a
candidate for this procedure.
(818) 247-7828
Or send us an email through our Contact Page.