Dr Nissit Patel attended the European Association of Osseointegration (EAO) Congress from 24th-26th September in Lisbon, Portugal. This was a wonderful event, with incredible presentations from world renowned speakers, live surgery, a wonderful trade fair and educational events. There is always so much to learn in the world of dental implants and it is great to be able to connect with our European and world wide colleagues at such events. 

Congratulations to the EAO for organising such a successful event and we look forward to seeing you next year in Madrid!

Replacing missing back teeth is essential. The molar teeth are designed for mastication i.e chewing . Without molars, it is far harder to break down foods for ease of swallowing. This essentially means that the diet will be one of soft foods only and eating will take much longer. This would not be a great look at a New Years eve dinner party! 

Our front teeth are created for incising food i.e cutting. If the teeth in front of the molars are overloaded with excessive force then further problems will result such as cracks, fractures and even teeth splitting in half meaning the loss of more teeth. 

The good news is that molar teeth can be replaced using dental implants to restore chewing function, spread the forces and enjoy those harder goods once again. 

Our case of the month for December is a classic one where the back teeth were lost due to bruxism which severely impaired function.
 

Teeth can be lost for various reasons such as tooth decay, trauma, failed root canal treatments or periodontal (gum) disease. The loss of teeth can have a significant impact on not only everyday function but aesthetics and general confidence when out and about. Replacing missing teeth is vital as this will restore function ( eating is important!) , improve aesthetics and prevent the adjacent and opposing teeth from moving into undesirable positions. The latter is a particular problem if the teeth are not replaced for a few years as this will make any dental implant treatment far more complicated.
 

Peri implantitis is becoming a major issue for dental implants and it is important to be aware of this when embarking on implant treatment to replace missing teeth. The term relates to a number of factors around implants but the main issues are:

1. Inflammation of the surrounding mucosa ( gum )

2. Increased pocket depths around the dental implant

3. Bleeding on probing

4. Suppuration ( pus oozing from the tissues)

5. Loss of bone around the implant either in a horizontal , vertical or both directions. 

This differs from peri implant mucositis where there is bleeding on probing, possible swelling and inflammation and increase in pocket depths BUT there is NO loss of bone around the implants. Peri implant mucositis is reversible but peri implantitis is irreversible. Diagnosis is essential and the earlier the treatment, the better the diagnosis. Often, the disease may go un noticed, very much like gum disease, but once symptoms develop it is often too late to prevent bone loss. It is essential that regular dental and hygiene visits are maintained after dental implant treatments so that any problems can be spotted at an early stage. In general, we would advise twice yearly appointments or quarterly hygiene appointments if there has been past gum disease present.