Professor Doctor Stefan Ihde, founder and implantologist at Simpladent clinics – in Montenegro, Switzerland and many other European countries – has developed a simple dental implant system, with numerous benefits. The procedure requires almost no bone, the implants are immediately loadable, and they may even be used in patients who are not eligible for other, conventional, dental implant procedures.
The implants are between 8mm and 55mm in length and between 3mm and 12mm in diameter, which means they can be perfectly sized to fit the available bone of every patient, avoiding undesired bone build-up, especially ‘sinus-lift’ procedures. This speeds up the treatment and makes it more affordable.
Dr Ihde has invented a precise and fast operation procedure, with minimum trauma to tissues. Only a 2mm needle-shaped drill is needed, making it as pleasant as possible. No flaps are raised, and there is no suturing, and almost no swelling. The implants incorporate into the elastic environment of the skull bone.
Prof Ihde is certainly the world’s most respected figure among implantologists
This technique allows implants to be placed where the bone is, independent of tooth position; flexibility is the keyword with this procedure. Experienced surgeons have learnt the creative use of Immediate Load Implants, and Prof Ihde is certainly the world’s most respected figure among implantologists.
Conventional options
In the past 20 years, conventional implantology has also made advances, but the main problem of traditional procedures is the stiff integration of bullet-shaped, oversized implant bodies into an elastic and vivid bony environment. This assimilation of live bone and stiff implants was named ‘osseo-integration’ 30 years ago. The downside of conventional osseo-integration was bone loss due to inactivity of the bone tissue, and the development of the disease named ‘peri-implantitis’. And of course, waiting times have to be taken into account.
To get teeth done with the old-fashioned two-stage technology, patients had to undergo sinus-lifts and bone transplantation, often under general anaesthetic. This is a risky and time-consuming procedure, with many disadvantages.
Today the whole treatment, including the fabrication of teeth, can be done in two days or less. It is performed under local anaesthetic, and the risks inherent in this procedure are minimal.
The progress, however, also has its downside. Implantology is not a legally regulated profession and there are no standardised training guidelines. The boom in this lucrative area of medicine has meant that some non-specialised physicians are performing implantology – some even try bone build-up, and other sophisticated operations, sometimes with devastating consequences.
“We are possibly the only clinic in the world that concentrates exclusively on immediate loading; we do not even do whitening of the teeth,” says Prof Ihde. “After more than 10,000 procedures, my team and I know very well what we are capable of doing and which procedures we can safely offer our clients.”
Expert investigation
20 years ago, when Prof Ihde became involved in dental implantology, he investigated and tested the methods and instruments in use at that time. “I very soon found that operations were painful and imprecise, even if the publicity did claim the opposite,” he says.
Prof Ihde has now thoroughly investigated the matter, from initial cell tests all the way through to animal experiments. After so many years of exhausting research he states: “The concept has a very strong scientific base under all perspectives.” In close collaboration with Swiss, German and Czech engineers and scientists, a new treatment has been developed, and very small drill-holes in the bone became reality. Hence, low-bone situations became manageable.
What is referred to as ‘quality-of-life medicine’ is primarily linked with satisfaction and quick, sustainable results. Patients get satisfaction from a harmonious smile, and the security and self-esteem that fixed teeth offer. This procedure makes the decision to extract the remaining, ailing teeth very easy.
“I have long been fascinated by the creative, formative element of basal implantology,” says Prof Ihde. “The art consists in placing them at the right place, the right angle and in the best bone, which is mostly hidden deep in the skeletal structures of the skull.”
How long can patients expect the implants to work and last? In principle, the implants remain in the bone forever, although prosthetics may need to be exchanged due to wear. Sometimes, implants must be replaced or more implants are added, if more teeth have to be removed.
Dental implantology is currently denistry’s number one procedure, enjoying even more popularity than veneering. “Under no circumstances will we work with foreign bone, such as cow bone or pig bone, or even bone from dead humans,” emphasises Prof Ihde. “We won’t even use the bone particles from the same patient, because it is known today that they never revitalise.”
In the world of implantology outside of his clinic, bone augmentations play a large role, but increase the costs and risks tremendously. “The big industry producing these materials makes sure that these procedures are used on a large scale and patients are made to believe that they are necessary. We did not have a reason to do one single sinus-lift since 1997. This procedure definitely is outdated, it should not be done any more.”
Perfect smiles
Can implantology solve all of the patients’ problems? “Definitely no: I’ve learned to recognise the warning signs – for instance, exaggerated hopes, and connections between teeth and other fields of life,” says Prof. Ihde.
“If their illusions are too great, I make it clear to them that I am unable to provide a solution to what is troubling them. We can only fix teeth; we can’t change the general circumstances in a patient’s life.”
There is a growing number of patients who come to the Simpladent clinic near Budva, Montenegro for corrective interventions when treatment elsewhere has gone wrong. For example: after a failed sinus-lift, failed bone augmentations, or after peri-implantitis has melted parts of the jawbone away. Corrections are not more expensive than the operation itself, and with the help of Simpladent’s special implants they are done quickly and reliably.
“Initial consultation is free-of-charge at our clinic,” says Prof Ihde. “I always recommend that people reconsider the whole treatment very carefully, possibly get a second opinion, compare treatment offers not only under financial aspects and, most of all, listen to their inner voice. After all, we are talking about a surgical intervention. And that is never completely harmless.”
