Zirconia dental implants are an alternative to titanium implants. A vast majority of dental implants used in the United States are made from titanium. Zirconia implants are more common in Europe and Asia than in the United States.
The zirconia is a type of ceramic material. Zirconia dental implants can be completely metal free. After the tooth is pulled, or extracted, an implant is inserted through the hollow tooth socket into the jawbone. The implant has a flat top that will be slightly lower that the edges of the other teeth. A false tooth or crown is used to replace the tooth that was extracted. The crown is attached to the exposed portion of the implant.
One benefit of titanium that is commonly stated is how well titanium implants become integrated into the bone. When a bone grows into the implant, the implant becomes sturdier and is much less likely to fail. If a dental implant fails to become integrated into the bone, the implant and false tooth become less stable and may even fall out.
The process of the bone cells integrating onto the implant is called ossification. Titanium is not the only material that encourages ossification. Zirconia is another material that is known to have a good level of ossification.
CeraRoot, a company that produces zirconia implants, also sells zirconia crowns. Though crowns may be made of ceramic composites, this company claims that this is the only zirconia crowns on the market. Zirconia crowns are available to match each type of tooth.
Their system of zirconia dental implants and crowns allows the dentist to have both the implants and the crown available for the procedure. This is unique since dental implant and crown procedures typically require at least two appointments to insert the implant and add the crowns.
After the CeraRoot zirconia dental implant and crown are implanted, the dentist may make an impression for a final ceramic layer over the crown. This allows the false tooth to match the surfaces of the other teeth. Though this level of customization must be done after the healing process of the dental implant, at least the patient has a working crown immediately after the implant surgery. Zirconia dental implants are becoming more and more popular in the states.
