When we are talking about the success rates of dental implants, we primarily mean the stability of dental implants. The implant stability ensures the reliable healing process and absence of clinical mobility, i.e. a complete process of osseointegration. The complete process of osseointegration is primarily characterized by the possibility to place prosthesis on the implant securely fixed into the bone. The implant anchorage depends on the following factors:
1. Condition and structure of the jawbone;
2. Height and width of bone required for dental implant placement;
3. Quality and options of instruments used for preparation of the implant bone bed;
4. Protocol or technique of dental implant procedure;
5. Different terms for the beginning of functional loading of implant systems;
6. Dental implant surface and materials;
7. Quality and application of osteoplastic materials;
8. General health of the organism and its restorative properties.
All these factors play a major role in achieving the stability of the implant placed at different stages of the procedure. What are clinical factors related to implant stability? How to determine that the implant stability meets the dental implantologist’s requirements? How to measure it? What to do if the stability is not achieved? All these issues are in the competence of the implantologist.
Clinical lack of implant mobility is divided into two stages: primary and secondary. Primary (mechanical) stability is measured during the process of implant placement and the secondary (biological) is achieved after primary healing and germination of bone cells into the implant surface. Implant surgeons measure the stability of dental implants using a variety of methods. These methods are not equally accurate, but it is necessary for implant surgeons to do it. Therefore, some dentists use several methods of measurement.
Implant surgeons know if the abutment post comes to a very sudden stop it means the implant is securely screwed into place. The placement of dental implants is performed in different ways depending on their shape, diameter, length. Therefore it is easy to make a mistake, relying on subjective feelings. The determination of implant stability is carried out using other methods based on different principles. Implant healing and stability are assessed by using torque test procedure (torque method – swivel moment) and resonance frequency analysis.
The implantologist makes an effort to the implant placed in the right direction, to determine the absence of “artificial root” wobble. This is the torque testing method. This method is subjective and implants can be damaged as a result of pressure during the placement. Therefore highly-skilled professionals consider it unsuitable and prefer the method of resonance frequency analysis.
The specialists of the company Bio3 Implants consider the method of resonance frequency analysis the most effective, since the implant stability is measured by a special device attached to the implant, which puts pressure on it and transmits readings for processing by a computer program. This high-tech method is more reliable because human factor is excluded.