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Tooth Replacement

Ceramic Implants

100% metal-free zirconia implants to replace a missing tooth root.

About 95% of dental implants placed today are titanium. For patients who would rather not have metal in their jaw, ceramic (zirconia) implants are a fully metal-free alternative that replaces the root of a missing tooth.

A ceramic implant is a zirconia screw that's placed into the jawbone. Once it integrates with the bone, a crown is attached on top, and when everything's done it functions like a regular tooth: you brush and floss it like normal. Unlike a bridge, an implant doesn't affect the teeth next to it in any way. It appeals to patients focused on biocompatibility and to anyone with metal sensitivities, because titanium implants are never 100% titanium and can carry trace metals like nickel, aluminum, or vanadium.

Whether an implant is right for you depends on your bone, your bite, and your goals, which is a conversation worth having before anything is decided.

FAQ

Questions, answered plainly.

Do ceramic implants fracture?

Very rarely. Modern ceramic (zirconia) implants have fracture rates under 0.2%. Today's yttria-stabilized zirconia has high bending strength and is designed to withstand normal chewing forces. Early alumina prototypes were prone to failure, but contemporary materials have largely solved that, making a break an extremely rare event. One thing to know: placing a ceramic implant is different from placing a titanium one, so there's room for user error if a surgeon over-torques it by treating it like titanium.

What's the rejection rate?

Modern zirconia implants have about a 95% to 98% success rate, with a failure or rejection rate around 3% to 5%, comparable to titanium.

What are the other benefits of ceramic implants?

Less plaque tends to stick to them, and the gums attach more tightly and seem to like them better. They're more esthetic, with no dark metal showing through at the gumline. And because there's no metal, there's no corrosion releasing metal ions into the surrounding tissue, which can otherwise trigger an immune response and peri-implantitis.

Ready when you are

Book a visit at Swiss Biologic Dentistry.

New patients start with a brief intake call through Swiss Biologic Dentistry's inquiry form.

Book a Visit 602.956.4800