The Significance of Biocompatibility When Considering Dental Implants

Biocompatibility: If you are considering dental implants or are researching any type of dental treatment

and come across ‘biocompatibility’ or ‘biocompatible’ you might ask yourself the significance of this word and its importance to any medical profession.

Biocompatible means that the object, metal or substance has the capability to coexist with living tissues and organisms without causing harm. It also means that the living tissue and/or organisms to which it coexists will not reject it.

If the body does not like something it WILL reject it…

The body is very in tune to what comes in and what comes out of it. If it does not like something, it will let you know, for example:

• Food and drink– you will become very sick and the body will expel the food back out of your system
• Sickness – any symptoms associated with any sickness are signs that your body is suffering
• Feminine Hygiene – can result in aches and pains, (TSS)
• Foreign bodies in the nose or airway – running noses or excess mucus and sneezing
• Surgery – if the body takes something in of a non-biocompatible nature it will cause complications
• Parasites and bacteria – if they become a problem can cause the body to react
• Piercings – can become infected

If the body does not like something inside it will utilise its immune system to reject the foreign object or substance. Your body has several types of immune functions that help protect your body from foreign bodies, to help it fight once they are inside, to expel them from the body and to heal.

At Just Smile we utilise titanium because it is biocompatible…

The dental profession like any medical profession serves a purpose to prevent, fix and improve their patients and the importance of biocompatibility in regards to surgeries and tools is self-explanatory. At Just Smile our dental implants utilise the biocompatibility of titanium, which is used as a structure for a prosthetic tooth.

Titanium is one of the most biocompatible of all metals due to its ability to withstand the body’s immune system, its ability to fuse with bone over time and its strong and flexible nature. It has the ability to resist bodily environments such as:

• Stress
• Heat/Cold
• Fatigue
• Stretching

It is highly durable, prized for its longevity and is not only used in the dental profession but is widely accepted in a broad spectrum of medical industries and even in the cosmetic piercing industry.

Biocompatible dental implants will ensure success post-surgery…

Each of us possesses a unique biochemistry that determines which substances or materials our body accept into our system. Those who experience allergies are a perfect example of a non-biocompatible nature between the person and the allergy, for example a person allergic to peanuts could die if they ate them but another person might enjoy them as much as they please.

At Just Smile in Ramsgate we understand it is important to supply patients with cosmetic treatments and dento-facial options that have a biocompatible nature to ensure whatever treatment or surgery they choose to undergo is a success. At Just Smile near the Sutherland Shire we fully support the use of biocompatible dentistry and utilise it to its fullest potential in our dental implant treatments that require a titanium screw and a prosthetic tooth to replace missing teeth.

For more information on dental implants, or to book an appointment at our Ramsgate dental practice, please do not hesitate to contact us.