Our Blog
30
Oct
New Developments Produce Bacteria Fighting Implants
Dental implants have proven to work wonders for people who have experienced tooth loss and help prevent further damage to the jawline and other teeth. The main catch with dental implants is that if they are not properly taken care of then the risk for infection rises dramatically, leading to dental implant failure. Researchers at an Israeli biotech firm called NanoLock have developed a new kind of implant that helps kill bacteria before an infection can occur.
How it Works
It is important to note that such technology is not necessarily new. Implants that have anti-bacterial materials already exist, but the catch is that there is a chance that the anti-bacterial components can leach into the body as the polymer weakens which can spell issues for the patient, and reduce the effectiveness over time. NanoLock works by mechanically killing bacteria. The extremely small (less than 1% of the entire implant) component essentially punctures a hole in the bacteria which kills the microscopic organism and then ensures that the dead bacteria do not leach into the rest of the patient’s body.
Similar to Graphene
There has been researched done on other methods of mechanically killing bacteria. Graphene is a carbon-based microscopic sheet of material that kills bacteria by slicing through their cell walls. This material shows great promise in combating gum disease, but there are some concerns that it can actually harm human cells in the same way that it kills bacteria.
The Takeaway
It is important to note that both the new implants by NanoLock and Graphene are still in the testing phases, so it is unlikely that you will be able to get your hands on them any time soon. For now, the best thing to do if you have dental implants is to make sure that you are practicing proper dental hygiene and are visiting your dentist regularly. If you have any questions about dental implants or would like to schedule an appointment at Nicolas A. Ravon, DDS, MSD, please call (310) 275-5325 today.