2010年6月14日 « トップへ » 2010年7月16日
2010年6月16日
What is the lifespan of implants and the telescope system?
Q. What is the lifespan of implants and the telescope system?
A. When I graduated college 12 years ago, there were very few dentists who were treating with implants.There were also very few students studying in the implants department and you can say that it wasn't very popular. In recent years, however, nearly all clinics offer implants. In the last year alone, the research association with the most astounding growth in number of members has been the Japanese Society of Oral Implantology. They gained 1,345 members just last year. It is even said among dentistry circles that we are experiencing and 'implant bubble'.
It is written that implants have a lifespan of 40 years. However, does this estimate reflect the case scenarios from each clinic? 12 years ago no dentists were even offering implants so this information is hard to believe.
Of course this can be possible if the patient has never suffered from gingivitis, has never had a systemic illness, and has perfect bite alignment. But I think that we need to be careful about making overestimations.
Implants are not natural teeth so they will not develop cavities. However, gums are not artificial. Without proper care it is easy to develop gingivitis. The circumstances change even more if you are a smoker. It is important to seek correct information and counseling from a dentist before getting implants.
Generally implants last at a rate of 90% over a 10 year period. This means if you choose to go with implants then you should see a dentist with a 90% success rate in implant patients from 10 years ago.
So what about the telescope system? At our clinic you can see results from 30 years ago. That is to say, Shigeru Inaba, our clinic's advisor, was the first person to import the telescope system to Japan from Germany 32 years ago. There are patients who received treatment at that time and are still using their dentures today. Unfortunately there are a few exceptions, but in those cases they have had dentures remade with other telescope methods. At the very least, these dentures can be used for more than 10 years.
All my patients whom I have treated with the telescope system when I first became a dentist almost 10 years ago are still using their dentures as if they were their own natural teeth. Among these patients, some have lost more teeth due to cracked roots and advancing gingivitis. However, one special feature of dentures made using the telescope system is that they can be removed and adjusted to fit the changing form of the mouth.
We are prepared to treat many different situations. This is a superior system that uses designs that take into consideration changes that may occur 10, 20 and even 30 years into the future.
2010年6月14日 « トップへ » 2010年7月16日
