Treatment with dental implants has become a popular treatment option for many dentists and their patients. Unfortunately, not all treatment outcomes prove to be successful or always meet the patient’s expectations. Failure of this treatment modality often leads to lost income, unproductive chairtime, and most importantly, the patient questioning the treating dentist’s competency. If practitioners are to be successful with this type of treatment, they must master the fundamentals of successful diagnosis and treatment planning and be fully informed of the many facets of this particular treatment alternative. This article will review the overall principles and necessary information for considering dental implants as a treatment option for patients.
Learning Objectives:
After reading this article, the reader should be able to:
- understand the need for proper diagnosis and treatment planning prior to initiating treatment with dental implants.
- describe the specific elements of implant selection.
- recognize the biomechanical parameters necessary for occlusal and functional loading of implants.
- discuss the requirements for an esthetic outcome for a dental implant restoration.
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