Zirconium oxide is a powdered metal material that has been around for many years, in use in some of the most demanding technical environments known to man, including the space shuttle, replacement hip joints, and other industrial and medical applications.

Zirconia implants offer function, esthetics, longevity, and gingival health.  Experience indicates single piece Zirconia implants to be as safe as Titanium implants, but they have the huge advantages of being white, translucent and metal free.

One piece Zirconia ceramic porcelain crowns and bridges offer reduced exposure to bacterial problems, resulting from microgap structures found in Ti implants. Also, a single stage implant is perfect to avoid bone loss - no micro gap, no movement.  Experience has shown that soft tissue is healthy and even grows along the ZrO2 implant head. Professionals report that the aesthetic is ideal in the anterior region.

The zirconium implant is metal free.  Some patients prefer not to put any metals, like titanium, into their bodies. It has been reported that titanium particles have been found to *leach off* from some titanium implants, and titanium particles have been discovered in nearby tissues.  The potential long term health impact of this condition is currently unknown.

From the Norwegian Endocrinology Newsletter: "The osseontegration rate was comparable to publications concerning titanium (98%), the soft tissue response however far superior.  Doppler x-ray as well as clinical explorative surgeries have furthermore established that the osseointegrative quality was superior to titanium as well. However the osseintegration process is different to Titanium, which has an effect on the clinical procedure. With regards to breakage of the implants we had 8 fractures in 10k implants."

Another doctor reports: "I have placed 200 custom made zirconia implants using various designs of root shapes .These have all fulfilled the criteria used for successful integration in titanium implants - some have been in place for 3-4 yrs - excellent soft tissue response and stable bone levels exceeding results obtained with titanium implants - huge advantage in the aesthetic zone".