First, the single-piece implant was developed and used by Dr. Jean-Marc Juliet in 1972. Because no homologous cutting tools are produced for this implant, its use is fairly demanding.
In the mid-1980s, French dentist, Dr. Gerard Scortecci, invented an improved basal implant system completed with matching cutting tools. Together with a group of dental surgeons, he developed disk implants. Since the mid-1990s, a group of dentists in Germany have developed new implant types and more appropriate tools, based on the disk-implant systems. These efforts then gave rise to the development of the modern basal osseointegrated implant or lateral basal implants.
The rationale of using basal implants
Teeth are present in less dense bone portions of the jawbones called the alveolar bone. This is also known as the crystal bone of the jaw. The less-dense alveolar or crestal bone gradually starts getting resorbed and recedes once the teeth are lost. The bone which ultimately remains after regression of the alveolar bone following the loss of teeth is the basal bone which lies below the alveolar bone.
This basal bone is less prone to bone resorption and infections. It is highly dense, colocalized, and offers excellent support to implants. The conventional implants are placed in the crestal alveolar bone which comprises bone of less quality and is more prone to resorption.
The basal bone is less prone to bone resorption because of its highly dense structure. The implants which take support from the basal bone offer an excellent and long-lasting solution for tooth loss. At the same time, the load-bearing capacities of the cortical bone are many times higher than those of the spongious bone.
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