Dental Tribune United Kingdom Edition

MicroThread™ – biomechanical bone stimulation OsseoSpeed™ – more bone more rapidly Conical Seal Design™ – a strong and stable fit Connective Contour™ – increased soft tissue contact zone and volume BioManagement Complex™ The success of an implant system cannot be determined by one single feature alone. Just as with all natural systems, the delicate balance is maintained by  the interaction of different but equally important features. The ASTRA TECH Implant System supports this natural balance through a unique combination of interdependent features – the ASTRA TECH Implant System BioManagement Complex™ . It is designed to ensure long-term clinical success by stimulating bone growth, providing bone preservation, soft tissue health and architecture. To put it simply: function, beauty and biology in perfect harmony. DENTSPLY Implants UK & Ireland, Brunel Way, Stonehouse, GL10 3GB Phone: +44 (0)845 450 0586 Fax: +44 (0)1453 793200 Email: implants.uk@dentsply.com Web: www.dentsplyimplants.co.uk 78786-GB-1208 BioManagement Complex .indd 1 26/10/2012 15:24:55 ogy was only possible because many new and safer augmen- tation procedures were estab- lished during the observation period, enabling dentists to design the osseous bed for the implant as desired. Revolu- tionary augmentation proce- dures in the area of the maxil- lary posterior teeth, which had been the focus of discussion in the first year of the period in question, constituted another important approach for real progress. Thanks to surgical tech- niques for sinus lifts, which underwent an incredible num- ber of modifications also with regard to less invasive proce- dures, it was possible to treat areas of the jaw that had pre- viously been considered im- possible or that could only be restored for implantation by way of highly invasive ortho- dontic procedures. While ini- tial sinus-lift procedures were generally reserved for highly specialised centres, they have now become common knowl- edge in implantology and are offered and performed exten- sively. Establishing virtual implantology It seems easy to figure out what the old-school fraction must have thought about the new planning and placement options for oral implants. This fraction had already had a hard time accepting the devel- opment from surgical to pros- thetic implantology, and they were strictly against the new digital procedures that were emerging incredibly quickly. With the rapid spread of den- tal volume tomography, which opened a new dimension to dental image diagnostics, a multitude of planning pro- grams and aids were placed on the market. The suggestion by some opinion leaders to define va- lidity and establish standards with regard to these new tech- niques, which are generally based on 3-D X-ray data, was especially frowned upon. I feel that a good compromise has been reached, owing to antici- patory and serious discussions held during consensus confer- ences and congresses, as well as at universities and within the dental associations. These new techniques are immensely helpful in the treat- ment of complex cases, and they are even indispensable for highly complex cases. The treatment of simple cases usu- ally does not require the use of these techniques. In fact, they should not be used in such cas- es owing to the radiation expo- sure when obtaining 3-D data. Of promises and realities Themes of the congresses during the first decade of the observation period contained generally positive statements and depicted new opportuni- ties in implantology, which exceeded the then current options by far and expressed a belief in boundless growth. This coincided with many page 18DTà ‘It was but an epi- sode, yet one that caused an incred- ible furore at the time: the debate about shortened healing times’ Fig 18 17Implant TribuneNovember 19-25, 2012United Kingdom EditionUnited Kingdom Edition