A root to success: a guide to implant osseointegration

Dental implants can be a successful replacement option for missing teeth, potentially improving the quality of a patient's lifestyle through a high standard of masticatory and speech function and aesthetics. In order for dental implants to continually provide these outcomes, the longevity of this treatment option must be guaranteed as far as reasonably possible. Here we explore the methods that can enhance the long-term success of dental implants, by ensuring they are placed in conditions that favour maximum initial and sustained osseointegration.

A dental implant is a screw-like titanium fixture, which is inserted into the alveolar bone to act as a substitute tooth root. Its function is to support overdentures, bridges or crowns where a natural root is no longer present and unable to function in this way. The process by which the bone models itself around and holds the dental implant in place is called osseointegration.