Dental Implant Immersion:
Concepts and Techniques Essential for Success

We are fortunate to provide dental care in a great day and age, where dental implants are commonly utilized. Over many decades, we have seen the success of many implant restorations, but we have also seen or experienced the failures. Dental implants are an extraordinary tool to provide our patients with both fixed and removable dental prosthesis.

This lecture will cover various treatment options for restoring a terminal dentition. It will also provide the guidelines for the sequence needed to properly plan the case from the esthetic perspective. There will be a detailed comparison of the treatment options for removable vs. fixed. In addition, this lecture will utilize multiple case presentations to develop accurate impression techniques and execution of the definitive restoration.

Topics:
 

1. Implant provisional options
2. Implant impression techniques
3. Avoiding and managing implant complications
4. Biomaterial options for implant restorations
5. Treatment planning implant prosthodontics
6. Managing the anterior implant esthetics
7. Implant stud attachment vs. bar overdentures
8. Complex full arch reconstruction

Implant Provisional Options (Single and Multiple Units):

• Discussing the choice of material options
• Discussing the different style of provisionals
• Reviewing when to load vs. not load an implant
• Reviewing the different techniques on fabricating a provisional in office
• Management of the soft tissue with a provisional
• Pitfalls that can lead to poor results and possible failures

Implant Impressions:

• Impression techniques from single to multiple units
• Deciding between open tray vs. closed tray
• Impression techniques and sequence for complex full arch reconstructions
• How to measure twice and cut once on the fabrication of your laboratory work
• Pitfalls to avoid which could determine success

Avoiding and Managing Implant Complications:

• Discuss value of great communication between the restorative dentist and the surgeon
• How to plan the implant with restoration in mind
• Discussing topics that include implant spacing, implant numbers, implant size,

             implant encroachment, spacing for the restoration, implant angulation.

Biomaterials:

• Discussing material choices in designing implant supported crowns and fixed bridges, which range from metals, porcelain fused to metal, feldspathic porcelain, lithium disilicate, and zirconia
• Discussing material choices in designing implant abutments, which range from stock vs. custom abutments, titanium vs. zirconia, cement vs. screw retained
• Techniques and design to improve success
• How to treat and bond to these materials
• Pitfalls to avoid when choosing between these materials and their designs
• Case studies: Reviewing decisions made to have success
• How can cements be catastrophic to our implants
• Cement vs. screw retained options

Facial Esthetics:

• Managing the demanding patient
• Recognizing the signs to not treat a patient
• Esthetic parameters to provide a beautiful result
• Guidelines for the incisal edge and pleasing smile
• Using orthodontics to proper restore the foundation of tooth position
• Case studies: Reviewing decisions made to have success

Implant Stud Attachment vs. Bar Overdentures:

• Deciding when a bar is not the proper choice
• Decisions when to use a stud attachment vs. a bar
• Different styles of stud attachments
• Different styles of bar attachments
• Techniques on restoring both options
• Maintenance and problem solving for the long-term success

Complex Full Arch Implant Reconstruction:

• Discussing the Art of Treating Planning and case acceptance
• Discussing to treatment plan with “THE END in MIND”
• Reviewing the different options for restoring a complete arch
• Discussing the choices in biomaterials that will determine success
• Pitfalls in not generating a vision for the facially generated esthetics
• Case studies (Reviewing decisions made to have success