How is Osseointegration of Dental Implants with Bone Measured?

Dear Paul:

Osseointegration of the dental implants is verified routinely in two simple ways.

First the dentist looks at the new radiograph to verify that there is bone adjacent to the implant and that there are no radioluscent or dark areas around it that might indicate a lack of bone contact with the implant or other problems.

Then an abutment or post is screwed into the implant and the post is tapped gently with an instrument handle. A clear hard sound indicates that the bone has grown over the surface of the implant and the implant is osseointegrated. A soft or cushioned sound, or some movement, indicates that the tissue on the surface of the implant is not hard bone and the implant is not osseointegrated.

There is electronic equipment that is able to very accurately asses the level of osseointegration of an implant, but it is expensive and not used by most dentists.

Hope this helps.

Carlos Boudet, DDS, FICOI
http://www.boudetdds.com

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