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Dental implants

A dental implant is a way to replace a missing tooth. A Cochrane Oral Health Group newsletter (Issue 8, Autumn 2003) puts it this way: "Missing teeth can sometimes be replaced with dental implants into the jaw, as bone can grow around the implant." The same newsletter says: "A crown, bridge or denture can then be attached to the implant."

Education, not a dental practice. Florida Smile Works does not examine, diagnose, or treat.

Short answer

Don't assume one implant type is proven best. The review summarized in that Autumn 2003 newsletter found "No strong evidence to show that any particular type of dental implant has superior long term success rates." That is a 2003 summary of the evidence at the time, not a current product ranking. Disease around implants is also worth knowing about: a Cochrane summary dated 24 July 2024 says "Many people with a dental implant (a false tooth that is fixed in the gum) will be affected by this kind of disease around the implant."

What a Florida reader should know

Both Cochrane items are research summaries. They are not Florida law and not a recommendation from Florida Smile Works.

The 2003 newsletter reprints a short summary of a review on "different types of dental implants." Beyond the "no strong evidence" line, it says: "However, the review found there is not enough evidence from trials to demonstrate superiority of any particular type of implant or implant system."

The 24 July 2024 summary is about gum disease. It looked at adding antimicrobial photodynamic therapy to standard gum treatment, compared with standard treatment alone. It is not about how implants are placed. In its words: "One very small study involved people who had swelling around dental implants. All other studies involved people with gum disease around natural teeth."

In Florida, dentists are licensed through the Florida Board of Dentistry, and you can verify a license on the Board's site yourself.

What to do next

  1. Read the Cochrane Oral Health Group newsletter, Issue 8, Autumn 2003, and keep its date in mind.
  2. Read the Cochrane summary dated 24 July 2024 on disease around teeth and implants.
  3. Verify the dentist's license yourself with "Verify a License" on the Florida Board of Dentistry site or "License Verification" on the MQA search home. See Choose a dentist for more to check.
  4. Ask a licensed dentist the questions below.

Questions worth asking a licensed dentist

Sources