Implant Maintenance

Why is it important to maintain dental implants?

As a dental professional, you know just how important regular dental implant maintenance is. Proper care and maintenance can prevent common diseases from affecting your patients, and extend the lifetime of an implant significantly.

As the number of patients requiring dental implants is increasing, it becomes even more essential to understand the differences between natural teeth care and implant care and accept the challenges of maintaining these restorations. We all know biofilm is the biggest enemy in periodontal and implant therapy. Implants are more susceptible to inflammation and bone loss when biofilm accumulates, carrying a high risk of implant loss. A comprehensive implant maintenance protocol should be followed for all implant patients to ensure the longevity of implants.

Appropriate implant-friendly instruments should be used to effectively remove biofilm without damaging the implant surface. Manual instruments such as metal curettes have been reported to damage the surface of implants, creating a rougher surface that can increase biofilm build-up(1). Plastic curettes have also been found to leave plastic residues after instrumentation(2).

Guided Biofilm Therapy with AIRFLOW® PLUS Powder safely, effectively, and efficiently removes biofilm from rough implant surfaces with no risk of scratching implant surfaces, abutments, or prostheses. Numerous external scientific studies investigated the efficacy of Guided Biofilm Therapy with AIRFLOW® technology, demonstrating its clinical effectiveness but also confirming its high acceptance by patients(3).

In patients with peri-implant mucositis, the use of AIRFLOW® PLUS Powder can prevent the disease from progressing into peri implantitis. In patients with deeper probing depths (more than 4 mm) or with peri implantitis, the use of the PERIOFLOW® nozzle with PLUS Powder removes biofilm efficiently from the implant threads. PERIOFLOW® technology not only decontaminates but also preserves the integrity of the implant surface.

Guided Biofilm Therapy is indispensable for pre-treatment, post-operative, and the life-long maintenance of implants.

• Titaniam damage include: Schmidt, K.E.; Auschill, T.M.; Heumann, C.; Frankenberger, R.; Eick, S.; Sculean, A.; Arweiler, N.B. Influence of different instrumentation modalities on the surface characteristics and biofilm formation on dental implant neck, in vitro. Clin. Oral Implant. Res. 2017, 28, 483–490. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]

• Yang, S.-M.; Park, J.-B.; Ko, Y. Use of confocal microscopy for quantification of plastic remnants on rough titanium after instrumentation and evaluation of efficacy of removal. Int. J. Oral Maxillofac. Implant. 2015, 30, 519–525. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef][Green Version]

• Matthes, R.; Duske, K.; Kebede, T.G.; Pink, C.; Schlüter, R.; von Woedtke, T.; Weltmann, K.D.; Kocher, T.; Jablonowski, L. Osteoblast growth, after cleaning of biofilm-covered titanium discs with air-polishing and cold plasma. J. Clin. Periodontol. 2017, 44, 672–680. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed]

The GBT protocol combined with AIRFLOW® PLUS powder and PERIOFLOW® technology is a minimally invasive, effective process for clinicians to follow when conducting implant maintenance. See what some users of the GBT protocol had to say:

‘My time before using AIRFLOW® & the Guided Biofilm Therapy protocol was a very sad situation with messy prophy powders that weren't really doing anything to help my patients. Since incorporating it [into] my practices I have seen improvements in my returning patients especially the ones with difficult problems that can now be fixed reasonably [easily]. It's a more comfortable experience not just for my patients but for me. Whilst I'm working, I can actually see the biofilm and stains coming off the surface of the tooth and from inside the perio pocket. Patients with implants actually have better long-term results.The AIRFLOW® Prophylaxis Master is extremely streamlined and can easily be integrated into your clinic - on benchtops and/or in a cupboard space. AIRFLOW® & Guided Biofilm Therapy is the future of dentistry!’
- Dr Jeremy Vo, Periodontist, NSW

‘Guided biofilm therapy (GBT) distinguishes itself from other therapeutic alternatives as a more conservative, minimally invasive, highly efficacious, and comfortable way of debriding teeth and implant surfaces. Historically, one of the biggest barriers to the maintenance of periodontal and peri-implant health is convincing patients, who experience high levels of sensitivity during therapy, to return for regular maintenance visits. With GBT’s cutting-edge technology, speed of therapy and high level of patient comfort, patients are now looking forward to their maintenance sessions. One of the biggest successes of GBT is the way it revolutionised the patient’s experience during maintenance therapy, and in so doing, has indirectly contributed to improved preservation of teeth and implants.’
- Dr Marina Kamel, Periodontist, (QLD)

Brush up your knowledge with our dental implant training courses

Ready to learn more about effective dental implant maintenance and the suite of tools EMS has invented? The Swiss Dental Academy offers several different courses that provide hands-on experience with EMS tools and the Guided Biofilm Therapy protocol. The course that covers dental implant maintenance is the Advanced GBT Masterclass: Periodontal & Implant Maintenance – Managing the Perio and Implant patient

SDA has established a global reputation for the quality of its continuing Professional Development (CPD) dental courses. For more information on the suite of courses offered, you can visit our Swiss Dental Academy course page.