Over the years, the trend has been towards avoiding putting metals in our body. An alternative material to titanium exists in the form of zirconia for dental implants. Health conscious patients frequently ask, “Are zirconia dental implants better than titanium?” The answer to this question is not simple, as it is important to understand the potential benefits, limitations, risks, and other factors.
Both titanium and zirconia are very bioinert materials, meaning that they do not cause local inflammation and are not rejected by the body. It is because of this reason that these are the two materials of choice for the abutment portion of the implant system. The abutment is the piece of the implant system that connects the dental crown or the tooth in the mouth to the implant that is in the jawbone. We do not need to use zirconia implants to achieve safe, predictable, and natural-looking restorations. Furthermore, we can avoid many long-term complications associated with using zirconia implants by placing titanium implants using 3D guided surgery. However, there are certain indications where zirconia implants can be used for patients that prefer zirconia over titanium.