Retter Dental Care is excited to announce that Dr. Jason Retter had the oppurtunity to train with one of the most prolific implant surgeons in the world. Dr. Retter spent a full week with Dr. Marius Steigmann of the Steigmann Institute in Heidelberg, Germany. Dr. Steigmann is an internationally recognized leader in implants and regarded in the field as the, “soft tissue guru”. In this mini-residency, they focused on advanced bone grafting techniques and achieving optimal esthetics through using state-of-the-art surgical and prosthetic protocols.
The town of Heidelberg, Germany
What does this mean?
Historically, dental implants were considered successful once they integrated into the jaw bone. Over the past 4 decades the science has evolved to focus more on the gums and how they respond to the underlying dental implants. In 2014, getting implants to successfully integrate into bone is the predictable and easy part. Depending on where in the jaw the implants are placed, the success rate is between 95-99%. Even when the bone is inadequate, we can usually graft to regrow the missing bone with great certainty.
Implantologists in action at the Steigmann Institute
The long term functional and aesthetic stability of implant teeth are largely determined by how the gums are behaving on top of the implants and bone. The gums are what we refer to as soft tissue. Healthy soft tissue around implants is what allows them to appear like natural teeth and protect them from the oral bacteria and the wear and tear of everyday chewing, grinding. Soft tissue is the key to long term success; that is the ultimate goal of the patient and doctor.
Dr. Jason Retter and his fellow Steigman Institute attendees
This week-long course was focused on how to approach simple and complex cases with the goal of maintaining and regenerating proper gum response to implant treatment. Being able to visit this amazing little town and socialize with Implantologists from as far away as Malaysia, Australia, Kuwait, and Bulgaria was an added bonus and equally fascinating!
