Learn all about supportive therapy—for long-term treatment success
A patient’s treatment journey isn’t complete just because the dental implant is in place. To achieve long-term implant treatment success, supportive therapy must be considered as an integrated part of the treatment. To assist clinicians in their work, Dentsply Sirona Implants has put together a manual, based on the latest scientific evidence, in cooperation with Professor Tord Berglundh and Professor Mariano Sanz who are authorities in the field.
Preserving the implant-host integration
Dental implants are used to support prosthetic restorations to replace missing teeth in an increasing proportion of the population. The long-term success of dental implant therapy, however, depends on preserving the integration between the dental implant and the host tissues.
Preventing disease as a key factor
Microbial challenges in the oral environment may cause inflammation in peri-implant soft tissues, which in turn may challenge the obtained tissue integration. Prevention of disease is therefore a key factor in the aim of preserving the supporting tissues around dental implants. For the clinician, this means that optimal long-term results in implant dentistry not only require appropriate surgical and prosthetic procedures, but also the implementation of sufficient supportive therapy during the maintenance phase of the implant treatment.
The patient’s role and daily procedure
The patient’s role in successful, long-term implant treatment success, and ultimately better health, is crucial and comes into play in the maintenance phase. He or she needs to carry out self-performed infection control procedures every day.
The manual “Supportive therapy in implant dentistry“ provides information on how to examine patients with dental implants during follow-up and maintenance and how to use diagnostic methods to guide the clinician in detecting pathology in peri-implant tissues. Recommendations for prevention and treatment of pathology are also provided.
