Maintaining Dental Implants, 3rd Edition

Course overview

The use of dental implants has been an important treatment in restorative dentistry since the establishment of outcome predictability and recognition of long-term dental implant and restoration success. Additionally, the evolution of this treatment modality has resulted in widespread interest in restorative implant options among both patients and practitioners (Alfaraj et al., 2023). The increasing number of patients selecting dental implants as a treatment option presents the dental team with the challenge of maintaining these implant-supported restorations. This basic-level course, appropriate for dentists, dental hygienists, and dental assistants, provides a general overview of the basic types of dental implants and the oral hygiene for dental implants, including the identification of similarities and differences in the periodontal structure surrounding a natural tooth versus that surrounding a dental implant. The course discusses the clinical procedures used to evaluate the status of dental implants as healthy, ailing, or failing, and the methods employed in professionally cleaning implants and improving home care techniques.