Chemists in Germany believe they have made a breakthrough in creating a better ceramic.

Glass chemist Prof. Dr. Christian Rüssel of the Friedrich Schiller University Jena (Germany) and his colleagues of the Otto-Schott-Institute for Glass Chemistry were successful in producing a new nanocrystalline glass ceramic, which may be suitable for use in dentistry due to their strength and optical characteristics.

Science Daily News is reporting that the glass chemists of Jena University have recently published their ceramic research results in the online-edition of the science magazine Journal of Biomedical Materials Research.

Prof. Rüssel told SDN,”We achieve a strength five times higher than with comparable denture ceramics available today. In combination with new optical characteristics an additional field of application is opening up for these materials in dentistry. The enamel is partly translucent, which the ceramic is also supposed to be.”

The fundamental materials are melted at approximately 1.500 °C, then cooled before being finely cut up. The material is then melted and cooled a second time. Finally, the nanocrystals are produced by controlled heating to about 1,000 °C, which determines the crystallisation crucial for the strength of the product.

According to Rüssel, the ceramic ends up looking translucent, like a natural tooth.

This is good news for dentists, denture patients and those seeking dental implants who want the look and strength of regular teeth.

Read more: Nanocrystals Make Dentures Shine

Said one general dentist, “I place implants myself, but only in ideal situations.”

Another general dentist said, “After referring to specialists and getting back poor work , I thought: How much worse can I do? Now I offer implants.”

This The Wealthy Dentist survey asked the question  that many dentists requested we ask: Do you place your own dental implants?

Click on Play to hear how dentists and specialists responded –

Ever since American Idol judge and Aerosmith lead singer, Steven Tyler received dental implants this year to restore his two front teeth by a dentist in Paraguay, there’s been a new surge of interest in implant technology.

What are your thoughts on who should be placing dental implants?

“It needs to be less expensive,” complained a Missouri dentist.

“I wish surgical fees for implants weren’t as steep as they are,” said a Washington dentist. “The price point seems to prevent a good share of my patients from receiving the service.”

Here are some other comments from dentists on dental implants:

“We charge $1,750 for first implant then $1,200 for additional implants placed at the same time.” (New York dentist)

“I am a general dentist who places implants. If I place the implant, I charge for the crown — not the abutment. If I send the case to the surgeon, then I charge for the abutment and the crown.” (Georgia dentist)

“I bill out implant, abutment-type and crown-type all separately.” (Colorado dentist)

“I do ceramic (zirconium) implants. They are more bio-compatible and more esthetic. I charge $3800/implant, but for the implant itself is $600.” (General dentist)

“I find that it is easier to restore, but are some dentists charging more than $850?” (Florida dentist)

As part of The Wealthy Dentist dialogue on dental practice management and marketing, we offer weekly surveys and invite your participation.

In order to understand different perspectives on the dental industry, we have developed surveys to canvas a diverse group of dental practices on their view of the dental industry, what constitutes current good practice in dental marketing and quality care.

The information collected will be used to prepare articles for The Wealthy Dentist readership.

This survey was closed on June 28, 2011.

Dentists responded with the following . . .

The top 5 questions dental patients ask -

1. How much do dental implants cost?
2. How long do dental implants last?
3. Are implants painful?
4. How long will it take to get my new teeth?
5. Does dental insurance cover implant surgery?

Versus . . .

The top 5 questions dentists want patients to ask -

1. Am I a good candidate for implants?
2. What are the potential complications of dental implant therapy?
3. How much implant experience does the doctor have?
4. What is the healing time for my implants?
5. Can implants improve my appearance?

Many dental implant patients seem to have the same questions about dental implant therapy. Unfortunately, these questions aren’t necessarily the ones dentists think they should be asking.

The 2 main questions patients ask are -

1. How much do dental implants cost?
2. Will dental implant surgery be painful?

When dentists feel their very first question should be -

1. Am I a good candidate for dental implants?

There is really a disconnect between the doctor and patient. This is no surprise, since patients are thinking about how they are going to pay for the implants, and whether the procedure will be painful.

But doctors can’t afford not to address the primary concerns of the patient first: cost and pain.

One dentist wrote, “Long term, when the conditions are favorable, proper bone density, height and width, proper biomechanical considerations, proper occlusal load. A dental implant is more cost effective over a 3 unit bridge. However, when the above conditions are not meet — the 3 unit bridge (with sufficient ferule, impressions taken with custom made tray and properly impressioned, properly articulated, preprosthetic endodontic treatment performed by an endodontist, core-restoration — not in composite) will be more cost effective (for the patient).”

Read more: Dental Implant Questions for the Dentist

Some doctors love mini implants, while others think they are an inherently inferior product.

Watch this dental survey video below for more on mini dental implants and how doctors feel about them -

The average dentist often refers out braces, sedation dentistry, and root canals, while keeping cosmetic dentistry, and denture patients.

Related Story: Specialists Usually Refer Patients Back, Report Dentists

When it comes to pediatric dentistry and gum disease, dentists refer some patients out and treat others in house. 

Related Story: How Dentists Refer Wisdom Teeth Cases to Oral Surgeons

Overall, the average dentist refers out less than 20% of patients.

Related Story: Root Canal Referrals: Dentists vs. Endodontists

Here are some dentist comments on referring patients:

• “Impacted wisdom teeth and molar endodontics are referred out 100%. Everything else is decided case by case.” (North Carolina dentist)
• “Some patients have such poor dental insurance for certain procedures, I’d rather let a specialist do the treatment.” (Nevada dentist)
• “I think most dental implants should be placed by either oral surgeons or periodontists because in my community, a lot of the dental implants placed by general dentists fail.” (Alabama dentist)
• “I refer out general anesthesia, but most anxious patients do well in office with oral sedation.” (New York dentist)

Read more: Dentist Specialist Referrals: What Dental Treatment Dentists Refer Out

“I pick and choose," said a Virginia prosthodontist. "Those patients who need a more complex treatment are referred to our in-house oral surgeon or periodontists."

“Every general dentist who can extract a tooth can do most dental implant surgery," said an Oregon general dentist. "I feel that oral surgeons really do not want you to know how easy it is to do. All dentists owe it to themselves and to their patients. I restore 75% more tooth implants now because I am placing my own. The acceptance was astonishing."

Read more: Dentists Who Place Dental Implants

The dentist claims that the NobelDirect dental implant has serious design defects that lead to complications such as bone loss, an allegation Nobel Biocare denies.

Dr. Jason Yamada seeks compensation not just for himself but for the thousands of US dentists who have placed NobelDirect dental implants. The suit claims these dentists have had to perform or pay for additional surgeries on patients who suffered complications from the allegedly faulty implant.

The suit further alleges that Nobel Biocare has known about the defects for a number of years. In 2005-06, the Swedish Medical Products Agency investigated claims of bone loss with the NobelDirect implant. Nobel was allowed to continue selling the tooth implant, but was instructed to alter its instructions and marketing.

Nobel says that, as a result of the Swedish investigation, the product has been extremely well-documented. Spokesman Nicolas Weidmann told Reuters, "We have very, very comprehensive material and data, including the clearance from the SMPA in Sweden, that the product is absolutely safe."

Not surprisingly, Nobel Biocare plans to fight the suit.

Read more: Dentist seeks US class action suit vs. Nobel Biocare

And here's another shocker: 20% of those with missing teeth said their dentist had never mentioned that dental implants were a treatment option.

We had the whole team together for a major meeting when Julie shared this bit of trivia with the group. We spent a few moments considering it.

"What happened to them?" Colleen asked, confused. "Where did they all go?"

"It must be all the soccer hooligans getting their teeth knocked out," Matt declared.

"And you might have heard that the NHS dental care system can make getting a dentist appointment awfully challenging," Julie added.

The group marveled for a moment that the stereotypes of the differences between British and American teeth really are based in fact.

I haven't been to a dental trade show in the UK, but I've heard that they're distinctly different from their American counterparts. In the US, you see a lot of dental implants on display. In the UK, you'll see a lot more dentures and dental bridges.

Earlier in the day, the founder of a major US dental lab had been telling us about the changing face of that industry. Dental labs used to typically be mom-and-pop affairs, not so different from a traditional mom-and-pop dental practice. But their numbers have been steadily eroding, and national dental laboratory corporations have been growing.

It turns out that many UK residents aren't particularly impressed with US cosmetic dentistry. They scoff that our perfect teeth look like dentures — except, of course, they probably wear more dentures per capita than we do!