The Evolution of Dental Implants

In 1982 I saw a television program about the exciting use of dental implants. The program suggested that dental implants would be placed by every dentist within the next few years. Ten years later I entered dental school excited to learn about dental implants and... nothing. Although dental implants were around and were successful, they were not taught to general dentists. It was felt that only specialists, such as oral surgeons, should be placing dental implants. We were taught that there were so many risks involved with placing a dental implant that we would be foolish to try. So I let the subject of dental implants sit on the wayside until 2005.


In 2005 I got sued. A hockey player was hit in the face and his two front teeth were sheered off at the gum line. I attempted to heroically save the teeth and they subsequently failed two years later. After two years of legal process I was found not negligent as the plaintiff ignored my statement to "immediately have the teeth removed and implants placed at the first sign of failure." The lesson I learned was to stop beating around the bush and start placing implants. I realized that placing dental implants is usually very simple once you get over the overwhelming technology of each system. Now I have developed my own surgical techniques that allow an implant to be placed in less than five minutes. I hold classes in my practice a couple times a year to teach these techniques to other general dentists.

Hiossen Dental Implants

To get to this point, I began by taking hundreds of hours of continuing education, including hands on and hands off surgical courses. I realized that my initial thought 15 years earlier was absolutely correct, implants are very easy to place and are very successful. So why aren't more dentists placing them? Cost and time. There are dozens of FDA approved implant systems in the United States. Each system uses its own set of instruments and components. Every time we select a new system it may cost $50,000-$100,000 in monetary investment, and the dentist is required to be educated in proper use of the implant system. This means taking more hours of continuing education, up to 100 hours for each system. We currently employ three systems in our office, plus a state-of-the-art digital radiograph.


The technology for dental implants is constantly evolving. Dental implants can now replace the need of almost any bridge, denture or partial denture and can be used to replace one or all of a patient's teeth. They are comfortable, natural in appearance, and can last a lifetime. We have now moved implants into our daily routine in our office, and we currently use a "non-surgical" technique. This new technique eliminates any cutting and stitching of the area. Healing times have also dramatically decreased from 16 weeks to 6 weeks, and in many cases we can place a tooth on the implant immediately. Now we routinely place hundreds of dental implants in our office every year with a 96% success rate.

 www.drsethrosen.com 

A Family Dental Care Center: Dr. Seth Rosen

2030 West Main St. Norristown, PA 19403

610.631.3400