As far as clinical application is concerned, there are presently only 2 types of dental implants . They are endosteal dental implants and subperiosteal dental implants.
Endosteal Dental Implants.
These are dental implants that are surgically inserted into the jaw bone . There are basically 2 types, Root Form Dental Implants and Blade Form Dental implants.
Root Form Dental Implant
is shaped like the root of a tooth and is screwed into the jaw bone . Presently, it is the most widely used implant system in the world with a long clinical history of high success rate. Blade dental implants
as its name suggests, is shaped like a thin, long flat blade. It is useful in cases of very narrow jaws. However, its clinical success has left much to be desired and is seldom in clinical use nowadays.
Subperiosteal Dental Implants.
These are dental implants that are custom made and shaped to rest on top of your jaw bone and under the gums. It is used mainly in cases where there is inadequate jaw bone for endosteal implants. However, with rapid improvements in Root Form Dental Implants technology, the use of subperiosteal implants has now been largely superseded by Root Form Dental Implants
