What an implant actually is
A dental implant is a screw made of pure titanium or a titanium-zirconium alloy, anchored as an artificial tooth root in the jawbone. After healing, a crown, bridge or denture is mounted on this implant. Unlike a bridge, neighboring teeth do not need to be ground down. Unlike a removable denture, the replacement sits firmly and transmits chewing forces directly into the jawbone, preventing bone loss.
Why planning matters more than surgery
Most complications in implantology do not arise in the operating room. They arise beforehand, in inadequate diagnostics. An implant in the wrong axis, too close to the nerve canal, in too thin bone, can only be corrected afterwards with significant effort.
We solve this with the three-stage Resident protocol: cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) for three-dimensional representation of bone and nerve course, intraoral scan to capture the mucosal surface and bite position precisely, software-supported planning of the implant position before the first incision. This preparation takes about an hour in our practice and determines the outcome.
Which implant systems we use
We work exclusively with two systems: Straumann (Switzerland) and Nobel Biocare (German-Swedish production). Both have been on the market for more than four decades, clinically documented in thousands of studies, with lifelong availability of every component. This matters if an implant needs to be re-treated prosthetically twenty years from now. With cheaper systems from Asia or Eastern Europe, such follow-up care often cannot be performed because the matching components are no longer manufactured.
Bone augmentation, sinus lift, immediate placement
Not every patient brings the ideal starting situation. Frequently, bone has shrunk after a long-past tooth loss. In these cases we work with augmentation procedures: local bone augmentation with autogenous bone or synthetic bone substitute material, sinus lift in the upper posterior region, membrane techniques for vertical defects. These procedures are now routine and are performed at the same location where the implant is placed.
With intact bone conditions and an existing residual tooth, immediate implantation is an option: in the same session the non-preservable tooth is removed and the implant placed. This significantly shortens overall treatment time and reduces surgical effort.
What matters after surgery
An implant lasts not because of the material but because of care. The mucosa around the implant is structured differently than around a natural tooth and reacts more sensitively to plaque accumulation. We recommend our implant patients two dental hygiene sessions per year and an annual radiographic check of the implant shoulder. Peri-implantitis (the implant variant of periodontitis) is now the most common cause of late implant loss and can be reliably prevented by consistent follow-up care.
