When you lose a tooth, you need a dental implant to replace it. But, the material of that implant is important. Zirconia implants are a new and exciting technology to replace lost teeth. Yet, not many patients and dentists think of zirconium as a dental implant material. Here’s why you should choose zirconia to get the best results from your dental implant treatment.
What Are Zirconia Implants?
Zirconia, also known as zirconium-dioxide is a material chemically derived from zircon. It consists of Zirconium and Oxygen elements. While zirconium is a metal, due to the oxidation, zirconia is a ceramic material. Thanks to its transitional metal status, zirconia combines the strength of metal with the heat-resistant power of ceramic.
Zirconia is an ideal material for dental implants. It’s bioinert, which means that it will never trigger chemical reactions, migrate to other sites in the body or corrode. That’s why it’s the non-metal alternative to titanium. Its naturally white color also makes it a great choice for patients.
Zirconia vs. Titanium Implants: Which Is Better?
The most commonly used dental implant material today is titanium. Dentists have used titanium since the ‘60s. These medical devices have a 90+% success rate. So, why do we need an alternative?
While titanium is more popular among dental practices, it doesn’t mean that it’s better. Zirconia implants are innovative. They have unique properties that titanium ones don’t. And since the color is white, zirconia implants look better in your smile as well.
There’s a big debate between using titanium vs. ceramic dental implants. Ultimately, it comes down to what the patient prefers and the dentist recommends. But, zirconia implants certainly have their advantages.
Benefits of Zirconia Dental Implants
Most of the benefits of zirconia implants come from the material’s properties. Metal has some potentially harmful properties that ceramic simply doesn’t.
1. They’re Hypoallergenic
If you develop sensitivity or allergies to titanium, you won’t just experience itchiness and inflammation. You could potentially lose your implant. Luckily, zirconia is a naturally hypoallergenic material. Meaning that you won’t develop side effects after surgery.
2. Zirconia Is Corrosion Resistant
Zirconia doesn’t corrode. It’s bioinert, which means that it won’t migrate to other parts of your body. Titanium on the other hand has been proven to corrode in a wet environment. Well, the mouth is a very wet environment. Nearby materials and some toothpaste can even trigger titanium to corrode faster.
3. Zirconium Implants Are Very Strong
Zirconia is very durable and inflexible in pressure. That’s why it’s a great material for dental implants. Your teeth need to withstand the enormous force of your jaw muscles when you’re eating. And zirconia teeth match this power as well. However, I would be more selective about placing these implants in the posterior and more likely choose the anterior until there are more long-term studies concerning posterior placement.
4. Integration With the Bone
How well the implant bonds with the bone can make or break the success of dental implant surgery. If the bone rejects the implant, there could be complications. Luckily, zirconia has a good track record with integration. Even the soft tissue around the implant is happier with zirconia vs. with titanium.
5. Zirconium Helps With Plaque Buildup
Ceramic has a very smooth finish. And plaque has a hard time holding on without crooks and crevices. Plus, zirconia has a non-polar structure. This means that bacteria are less likely to adhere to it. Zirconium implants lead to cleaner and healthier oral hygiene.
6. Avoid Metallic Taste with Zirconia Dental Implants
You don’t just feel the titanium implant. You can also taste it. Due to its corrosion, the metallic feature of titanium isn’t the tastiest implant solution. Zirconia on the other hand doesn’t taste like anything.
7. Faster Healing Time
Zirconia isn’t a metal, so it doesn’t conduct heat. This is better for your gums, especially when you’re healing.
8. Aesthetic Advantage
Titanium implants often cause discoloration through the gums. The silver of the metal taints your gums, and this is clearly visible. Especially if your implant is in your smile zone. With zirconia’s white and non-corrosive material, this isn’t a problem at all!
Disadvantages of Zirconia Dental Implants
Zirconia sounds suspiciously perfect? While it’s truly an amazing material for dental implants, it’s not without its faults. You need to be aware of the disadvantages of zirconia too to make an informed decision about your dental health.
Fewer Dentists Offer Them
Perhaps one of the biggest obstacles, if you want zirconia implants, is the lack of dentists that offer them. Zirconium dentistry isn’t as popular as using titanium. So, make sure you search in your area for dentists offering zirconia implants near you.
Are Zirconia Dental Implants Safe?
Absolutely! Zirconia has non-corrosive and nonallergic properties. So, it may actually be safer and more beneficial to the patient than any other dental material. Titanium on the other hand, can corrode in the wet environment of the mouth. Which can lead to serious complications.
Do Zirconia Teeth Look Good?
Yes. Zirconia dental implants look very good. They’re non-metallic and white, so they seamlessly fit into your smile. Zirconia teeth look just like real teeth. Titanium sadly doesn’t have this natural aesthetic to it. If you have thin or receding gums, the titanium’s grey color often becomes visible.
Zirconium Implant Cost
Every dentist prices their products and services differently. But, generally, zirconia implants cost more than titanium implants. That’s because zirconia has a higher manufacturing cost. On average, zirconia implants cost about $300 more than the typical titanium implant.
Get Zirconia Dental Implants in Manila
Zirconia dental implants may be the best option for you. But, let your dentist decide which dental implant you should opt for. Sadly, not all dentists offer zirconia implants. But, if you traveling why not choose to travel to the Philippines and enjoy a wonderful vacation along with getting your teeth done with us at Eximus Dental.At Eximus Dental, we know that every dental implant is different. We don’t use a single type of implant for everyone. Instead, we tailor the specific type of restoration to the long-term health goals for your smile. And we do it with the best materials. If zirconia is the best for you, we’ll evaluate your situation, discuss your needs, and present your options.
Bone grafting is a surgical procedure that replaces missing bone in order to repair bone fractures that are extremely complex, pose a significant health risk to the patient, or fail to heal properly.
Bone generally has the ability to regenerate completely but requires a very small fracture space or some sort of scaffold to do so. Bone grafts may be autologous (bone harvested from the patient’s own body, often from the iliac crest), allograft (cadaveric bone usually obtained from a bone bank), or synthetic (often made of hydroxyapatite or other naturally occurring and biocompatible substances) with similar mechanical properties to bone. Most bone grafts are expected to be reabsorbed and replaced as the natural bone heals over a few months’ time.
The principles involved in successful bone grafts include osteoconduction (guiding the reparative growth of the natural bone), osteoinduction (encouraging undifferentiated cells to become active osteoblasts), and osteogenesis (living bone cells in the graft material contribute to bone remodeling). Osteogenesis only occurs with autografts.
Biological mechanism
Bone grafting is possible because bone tissue, unlike most other tissues, has the ability to regenerate completely if provided the space into which to grow. As native bone grows, it will generally replace the graft material completely, resulting in a fully integrated region of new bone. The biologic mechanisms that provide a rationale for bone grafting are osteoconduction, osteoinduction and osteogenesis.
Properties of various types of bone graft sources.
Osteoconductive
Osteoinductive
Osteogenic
Alloplast
+
–
–
Xenograft
+
–
–
Allograft
+
+ /–
–
Autograft
+
+
+
Osteoconduction
Osteoconduction occurs when the bone graft material serves as a scaffold for new bone growth that is perpetuated by the native bone. Osteoblasts from the margin of the defect that is being grafted utilize the bone graft material as a framework upon which to spread and generate new bone. In the very least, a bone graft material should be osteoconductive.
Osteoinduction
Osteoinduction involves the stimulation of osteoprogenitor cells to differentiate into osteoblasts that then
begin new bone formation. The most widely studied type of osteoinductive cell mediators are bonemorphogenetic proteins (BMPs). A bone graft material that is osteoconductive and osteoinductive will not only serve as a scaffold for currently existing osteoblasts but will also trigger the formation of new osteoblasts, theoretically promoting faster integration of the graft.
Osteopromotion
Osteopromotion involves the enhancement of osteoinduction without the possession of osteoinductive properties. For example, enamel matrix derivative has been shown to enhance the osteoinductive effect of demineralized freeze dried bone allograft (DFDBA), but will not stimulate de novo bone growth alone.
Osteogenesis
Osteogenesis occurs when vital osteoblasts originating from the bone graft material contribute to new bone growth along with bone growth generated via the other two mechanisms.
Autograft
Autologous (or autogenous) bone grafting involves utilizing bone obtained from the same individual receiving the graft. Bone can be harvested from non-essential bones, such as from the iliac crest, or more commonly in oral and maxillofacial surgery, from the mandibular symphysis (chin area) or anterior mandibular ramus (the coronoid process); this is particularly true for block grafts, in which a small block of bone is placed whole in the area being grafted. When a block graft will be performed, autogenous bone is the most preferred because there is less risk of the graft rejection because the graft originated from the patient’s own body. As indicated in the chart above, such a graft would be osteoinductive and osteogenic, as well as osteoconductive. A negative aspect of autologous grafts is that an additional surgical site is required, in effect adding another potential location for post-operative pain and complications.
Autologous bone is typically harvested from intra-oral sources as the chin or extra-oral sources as the iliac crest, the fibula, the ribs, the mandible and even parts of the skull.
All bone requires a blood supply in the transplanted site. Depending on where the transplant site is and the size of the graft, an additional blood supply may be required. For these types of grafts, extraction of the part of the periosteum and accompanying blood vessels along with donor bone is required. This kind of graft is known as a vital bone graft.
An autograft may also be performed without a solid bony structure, for example using bone reamed from the anterior superior iliac spine. In this case there is an osteoinductive and osteogenic action, however there is no osteoconductive action, as there is no solid bony structure.
Avail our Affordable Dental Treatment Packages as our share in helping our clients in these current difficult times. We would like to inform our friends and patients that we follow Strict Health & Sanitation Protocols, set-ups recommended by WHO, DOH in the Dental Clinic when doing routine dental procedures on our patients.
We also use Extra oral Suction by our trusted Dental Supplier Fortress Dental, the amazing and best one available in the market for the safety of the Dentist, the patient, and other dental personnel.
n 1990, All on 4 Dental Implant System was introduced, affordable, more permanent solution, popular, with 4 Dental Implants to secure a full set of teeth in a denture for the upper and the lower to the maxilla and the mandible.
It still has a fake gum, unattractive false gum on the roof of the mouth.
Oral hygiene is difficult and the denture needs to be removed to be cleaned in the Dental Clinic every six months (time-consuming and expensive procedure)
The All on 4 Dental Implants System needs 2 dental implants on the front and 2 dental implants on the back (the 2 dental implants in the back are placed at an angle in the bone)
The denture is not strong, can easily break or sometimes is made to be thick and heavy for strength.
Because only 4 dental implants
are used, if 1 or 2 dental implants fail, the patient would need to redo the whole procedure all over again so it becomes more expensive in the long run. The 3 on 6 Dental Implants System was introduced in 2015.
The patient can regain their confidence, beautiful Smile and look 20 years younger.
There are no fake gums, no gumline involved. You have your own natural gumline.
3 individual, separate permanent bridges are placed directly on 6 dental implants.
It looks natural, it never needs to be removed (a more permanent solution that a patient is usually looking for like your own teeth)
It looks natural, a more hygienic way of cleaning by yourself at home, (flossing, brushing, cleaning using Water Pik Irrigation, standard cleaning)
You get a more comfortable, confident Smile.
The 3 on 6 Dental Implants System is the most advanced and affordable way for a white, permanent, beautiful, confident smile.
There is a good spread of load of teeth on the 6 Dental Implants
For successful Dental Implant Treatment with durability and its longevity.
3D computer-guided Dental Implants System is used for precision placement and accuracy of the dental implants
positions for good success of the treatment procedures.
More clinics and health and wellness outlets have opened at the 28-storey Centuria Medical Makati, the Philippines’ first and largest medical tourism hub, located at Century City, Makati.
I first visited Centuria back in 2016 and it was then already fast shaping up to the vision of Century Properties Group chair Jose E.B. Antonio—which was to revolutionize preventive health and outpatient care by gathering the best industry practitioners and serving medical tourists and locals in a well-designed and inclusive facility.
With more than 500 clinics, Centuria stands as the biggest one-stop shop outpatient facility in the country. Not only does it serve patients with different health and medical needs —from executive checkups to breast care, eye care, skin care, dental and much more.
It also stands regally among the magnificent towers of the Century City mixed-use development in Makati City.
Centuria has several specialized clinics like the New Life Plastic Surgery and Core: Center for Optimum Rejuvenation.
Interior designer Tessa Alindogan and I designed the New Life Clinic of Dr. Cricri Puyat last year. We chose a more elegant and classic style with well curated accents. For the Core Clinic, Dr. Sheree Bondoc got her designer to use wood and marble accents to furnish her masterfully designed interiors. The Core Clinic was designed by Arch. Maila Manalang of MAS (Manalang and Sons).
If you haven’t checked out the area yet, Century City is in the burgeoning district of Poblacion, now Makati’s hip social center. This 3.4-ha site along Kalayaan Avenue used to be a portion of the old International School Manila and is now transformed into a vertical village comprising of designer skyscrapers. Among Century City’s towers are the New York-inspired Gramercy Residences, the London-inspired Knightsbridge Residences, Milano Residences which was interior designed by Versace Home, Trump Tower Philippines, the Century City Mall, Centuria Medical, and two more upcoming towers: the office building Century Diamond Tower which is opening this year and the Armani Casa-designed residential-office Century Spire, which is topping off this April.
Broadway Malyan was responsible for Centuria’s architectural concept and design that features a bespoke and dynamic façade and a modern healthcare design to create an advanced yet comfortable space for patients.
“What we have envisioned for Centuria is to serve as an avenue for doctors and healthcare practitioners to do what they do best in a supportive environment, and for patients here and abroad to experience the genuine Filipino brand of healthcare that doesn’t necessarily feel you’re in a hospital setting. With more and more clinics now opening in Centuria, this fulfills our vision to change the game in health care and provide an elevated form of outpatient experience,” Antonio explained.
Century Properties is on its 33rd year in Philippine real estate and has done other medical facilities in the past.
Medical Plaza Makati and Ortigas, as well as the medical arts wing of the Asian Hospital are part of its 43 completed projects and Centuria is considered a crown jewel by the developer for its unique purpose to elevate the standards of medical tourism in the Philippines.
Contact the Centuria Medical Makati concierge at (02) 793-8611 or at ask@centuriamedical.com.ph.
When you lose a tooth, you need a dental implant to replace it. But, the material of that implant is important. Zirconia implants are a new and exciting technology to replace lost teeth. Yet, not many patients and dentists think of zirconium as a dental implant material. Here’s why you should choose zirconia to get the best results from your dental implant treatment.
