Adopting new implant procedures to enhance your practice - Dr. Steven Bongard

For many years now there have been limited treatment options available to edentulous or soon-to-be edentulous patients. Typically, the only option available to most patients is dentures, though it has long been recognised that removable tissue supported dentures are far from an ideal solution. Not only do patients often struggle with poor fitting dentures and ‘sore-spots’, but dentures can often make eating and even speaking difficult, and many patients find they must drastically alter or reduce their diet as a result.

Thankfully, over the past few years there have been a number of significant advances in dentistry that have led to major progress in the area. One of the most significant developments here being ‘Fixed Teeth in a Day’ – the revolutionary implant procedure that allows for the relative simple replacement of natural teeth with a full arch prosthetic supported by dental implants. 

The advanced protocol delivers same day, full arch rehabilitation utilising four or more implants to support a fixed, immediately functional, aesthetic prostheses. By using the latest techniques, Fixed Teeth in a Day is much less invasive than traditional rehabilitation approaches, as it reduces morbidity, is less disruptive to patients’ lives, and is also less costly.

The principle surgical difference to Fixed Teeth in a Day is the implant placement. Placing implants at an angle to avoid the sinus cavities in the upper jaw and the inferior dental nerve complex in the lower jaw, allows for favourable implant position and reduced cantilevers without  the need for significant bone grafting and complex sinus lift surgery. The availability of zygomatic and pterygoid implant approaches means Fixed Teeth in a Day is suitable for even the most complex atrophic cases.  Cases where patients might have previously been considered otherwise untreatable.

Though it is only natural for some in the profession to question the thinking behind tilted implants, there are numerous studies to support their use. In 2007 for example Koutouzis and Wennstrom found that implant inclination has no effect on peri-implant bone loss. (Clin Oral Implants Res. 2007 Oct; 18(5): 585-90. Epub 2007 Jun 30). Similarly, a 5-year study by Krekmanov et al found a 98% success rate in the maxilla and a 100% in the mandible (International Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Implants 2000), while a 1999 study showed a high success/survival rate for tilted implants placed nearly 20 years ago (Implant Treatment without bone grafting in severely resorbed edentulous maxillae; Mattson et al International Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery - with a 10 year follow-up study by Rosen and Gynther IJOMS 2007).

Given the clinical benefits of Fixed Teeth in a Day – especially to patients who might otherwise be considered ‘untreatable’ – it is clear that there is massive opportunity for the dental profession to take advantage of this advanced new treatment option. Since Fixed Teeth in a Day came to the UK and has been offered widely by specialist referral clinics.  More and more clinicians have discovered for themselves the clinical, and indeed financial benefits of being able to offer this unique treatment to patients. Not least for the fact that Fixed Teeth in a Day offers a life-changing solution to patients who have resisted much needed treatment due the complexity, time, and cost of the more conventional treatment approaches. 

By referring patients for Fixed Teeth in a Day not only do referrers gain from the ability to offer a broader range of treatment options, but they can also benefit by attracting in new patients whom they might otherwise never see. United smiles Centres will offer the support and training to those that are willing and interested to provide the final prosthesis for their patients. Naturally once the treatment has been completed the referrer also then has the ability to maintain the patient for routine maintenance and oral health checks and so on.

If your practice is already is providing implant-based treatments, United Smile Centres are now offering the option for a select group of implant practices to work together for mutual benefit, adopting United Smile Centres’ same-day implant solution brand and marketing, and unlike corporate entities, still allowing you to retain full control over your practice’s operations. With Fixed Teeth in a Day now such a powerful and convincing brand in the public sphere, an option such as this could well prove incredibly financially beneficial to your practice, and may well attract new long-term patients to your care. You will also find yourself in the position to benefit from economies of scale and a substantial brand marketing budget that will benefit you. 

Whether you wish to offer Fixed Teeth in a Day yourself, or if you would prefer to refer, there can be no doubt the fantastic benefits the treatment offers to both patients and clinicians alike.

For more information call United Smile Centres on 0800 8 49 49 59, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., or visit www.unitedsmilecentres.co.uk