Photos provided by Gary Jackson.
Jump Start Your Practice with Implants
COLUMBUS, OHIO - As the Baby Boomers age, den-
tistry should be expecting a groundswell of patients who
may be in need of implant dentistry, and this generation
of patients will not tolerate subpar results, according to
David A. Little, DDS, one of the speakers at the Updates
in Contemporary Dentistry Meeting.
Dr. Little, who is an adjunct clinical professor at
the University of Texas, San Antonio, and who has a
private practice in San Antonio, said that approaching
dentistry as a team, involving the surgeons, technicians,
as well as the patient and dentist is the key to successful
implant dentistry. “You have to take a team approach
for successful implant dentistry,” Dr. Little said. “You
have to train your team well. You never want to over-
promise and underdeliver.”
Dr. Little said the emotional effects of tooth loss can
include bereavement, lowered self-confidence, altered
self-image, altered behavior in forming close relation-
ships, and premature aging. All of these negative effects
has led to patients seeking help for tooth loss.
Predicting a great result, according to Dr. Little, re-
quires that a dentist treat each case 4 times, “in our
minds, in wax, in acrylic, and in porcelain.” Typically,
problems in restoring implants involve 2 issues—the
wrong location and poor angulation. To prevent these
issues, Dr. Little said to start with a solid clinical exami-
nation that looks at the periodontal health, the condi-
tion of the soft tissue, the dentition, the contour of the
bone, and vital structures.
He said knowing the “numbers of implant dentistry”
will help predict success:
• 2 mm is needed between the natural tooth and
implant
• 3 mm is needed between 2 implants
• 7 mm is needed for the vertical height from the
implant body to the site of occlusion
• 5 mm is the ideal height from crest of bone to
bottom of contact point
Radiography Results
Dr. Little said that the future of dentistry is 3D tech-
nology, which helps the surgeon prepare for the implant
placement. He uses Materialse’s Simplant 3D software,
which enables him to diagnose, plan treatment, docu-
ment, and present cases. This 3D allows visualization
and analysis of craniofacial anatomy from data pro-
duced by cone beam computed tomography.
Treatment Options
When discussing treatment options, Dr. Little said it
is important to review all the benefits and negatives of
each option. With dentures, the benefits are that they are
Dental Learning
Photo credit: Picture America
the least costly approach and they are quickly applied.
On the negative side, dentures contribute to further bone
loss, nerve exposure may lead to pain, and may lead to an
older appearance with wrinkles. Also, he said, dentures
do limit what patients can eat.
“I ask the patient, ‘Would you rather eat what you
want or eat what you can’,” Dr. Little told the audience.
Discussing the Anyklos Syncone implant restora-
tions, Dr. Little said it is an implant retained, implant
supported overdenture that can be immediately loaded.
The goals of this system include immediate treatment,
decreased total treatment time, simplified technical pro-
cedures, and decreased cost.
The biggest advantages using the Anyklos system, ex-
plained Dr. Little, are that it provides the clinician with
a wide range of options when selecting patient-specific,
custom restorations. He said all Ankylos implants and
standard abutments are fully interchangeable with the
matching sulcus formers and transfer caps.
Enthusiastic for Dentistry
Summarizing his presentation, Dr. Little encouraged
the audience to get excited about the new options and
innovations in dentistry. “You have to get excited about
these things because if you aren’t, how are your patients
or your staff going to be?” —Colleen Platt
David A. Little, DDS graduated in 1984
from the University of Texas Health Science Center at
San Antonio Dental School. Since that time, he has
devoted a significant amount of time to refining his
craft through continuing dental education. In 1998, he
began sharing his extensive experience and passion
for advanced dental techniques with his professional
colleagues. He has educated thousands of dentists
around the world on advanced dental procedures and
techniques through dental education workshops and clinical seminars.
Dr. Little reports he has lectured for Dentsply Tulsa Dental Specialties,
Orascoptic, Heraeus Kulzer, Kerr, 3M ESPE and Deka.
www.dentallearning.net