The field of dental implantology is in its youth. The first implants were put in only 25 or so years ago – and many of them are still giving good service to this day.
But being a relatively new treatment (compared to say, fillings which have been around since the turn of the century) implant treatment methods and component construction is moving fast. Just like any other technology it is up to the implantologist to keep up with current developments.
This generally means looking at methods and systems that have been around at least a few years to ensure that they are well proven. The responsible implantologist would not use his patients as guinea pigs!
Again, as with other emerging sciences, implant systems get out of date….they can still be purchased, and in most cases they will still function. But how do they look?
The first years of implantology were all about finding implant materials and shapes that would not be rejected. This was by and large achieved…but often at the expense of the cosmetics. The older implants simply don’t look great (often showing their metal edges after only a few months or years)…the teeth on the implants were often made in poor quality laboratories with poor quality materials..
Using an older design and using an inexpensive dental lab to make these crowns will keep the costs way down: but beware of the end result.
Personally I like to use a good modern system (currently Ankylos) and I work with reassuringly expensive dental ceramists to ensure that my implants end up looking like your teeth (and not someone else’s!)