BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - BioHorizons, a leading manufacturer of dental implants and tissue regeneration products, reported today that a recently published study demonstrates that dentists who use Laser-Lok® dental implants to replace missing teeth can give patients years of normal dental function and appearance.
"This study is consistent with the results I have had for the last 10 years with Laser-Lok dental implants," said Dr. Cary Shapoff, a periodontist in Fairfield, CT and the lead author of the study. "These implants have shown an exceptional ability to maintain patients' dental health and esthetics over the long term."
Here are the study details:
- Forty-one patients with missing teeth were treated with Laser-Lok dental implants.
- Patients were missing one or more teeth due to genetics, trauma, hygiene or a failed endodontic procedure (commonly known as a root canal).
- After three years, these patients had a 98% success rate with minimal bone loss (0.46mm).
- The complete study is available in the April issue of The International Journal of Periodontics & Restorative Dentistry (IJPRD).
"While dental implants, in general, have a very high success rate, dentists often accept that patients will experience 2mm of bone loss over the life of an implant," commented Dr. Shapoff. "This bone loss can result in an unnatural looking smile. BioHorizons implants have shown a unique ability to stop this bone loss, allowing patients to maintain a natural, esthetic smile."
BioHorizons Laser-Lok dental implants are a patented design that causes the bone and soft tissue to attach and be retained around the dental implant. It is the only surface cleared by the FDA that establishes a physical, connective tissue attachment (unlike Sharpey fiber attachment).
"Stable soft tissue attachment to Laser-Lok dental implants, resulting in a biologic seal, was documented for the very first time in studies published in 2008," commented Dr. John L. Ricci, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Biomaterials and Biomimetics at NYU College of Dentistry. "This latest study definitively confirms that the clinical benefits of a stable soft tissue envelope around Laser-Lok dental implants are significant when compared to the typical 1.5-2mm of bone loss documented with other implant systems."
Steve Boggan, President and CEO of BioHorizons, added, "The majority of our customers have converted to Laser-Lok dental implants because of the benefits they have seen for their patients. This study further validates their clinical experience. We look forward to the release of additional studies later this year comparing BioHorizons implants to dental implant systems from other companies."
References
1. Radiographic Analysis of Crestal Bone Levels on Laser-Lok® Collar Dental Implants. C Shapoff, B Lahey, P Wasserlauf, D Kim. IJPRD, Vol 30, Number 2, 2010
2. Human Histologic Evidence of a Connective Tissue Attachment to a Dental Implant. M Nevins, ML Nevins, M Camelo, JL Boyesen, DM Kim. IJPRD. Vol. 28, No. 2, 2008.
3. The Effects of Laser Microtextured Collars Upon Crestal Bone Levels of Dental Implants. S Weiner, J Simon, DS Ehrenberg, B Zweig, and JL Ricci. Implant Dentistry, Volume 17, Number 2, 2008. p. 217-228.
