Zirconia Implants in Singapore
A zirconia implant replaces a missing tooth with a ceramic fixture instead of a titanium one — metal-free, and white rather than grey. We do place them. We are also cautious about which design: in our judgement the conventionally shaped one-piece ceramic fixtures have not proved reliable enough to recommend as a matter of routine. This page sets out where that leaves things, and how the two materials compare.
- Status
- Not yet placed here
- Material
- Zirconium dioxide
- Placed today
- Titanium
- Fee
- Published when we place
Where this stands
Adding an implant system is not a purchasing decision. It means surgeon training on that specific system, the prosthetic components and the laboratory workflow behind them, and enough familiarity with the surgical protocol that the first patient is not the learning curve. Zirconia is less forgiving than titanium in this respect: the fixtures are mostly one-piece, so the angle at which the implant goes in determines the angle of the final tooth, with none of the correction a titanium abutment allows.
Where that has left us is this. We offer ceramic implants, but we do not recommend the conventionally shaped one-piece fixtures as a matter of routine, because in our judgement they have not proved reliable enough. What we are introducing instead is a monolithic single-piece zirconia implant, which we expect to perform considerably better. That is subject to HSA approval, so there is no firm date and we will not invent one.
Titanium — Straumann and Hiossen — remains what we place most often, and we will tell you plainly at consultation where each option stands rather than take a deposit against something that has not arrived.
Zirconia and titanium, honestly compared
Zirconium dioxide is a ceramic, not a metal, despite the name. It is the same family of material as the milled crowns we already make in the clinic.
Who it is actually for
A small group, and worth being specific about. Patients with a diagnosed and tested titanium sensitivity. Patients with very thin gum at the front of the mouth, where a grey shadow at the margin would be visible for the rest of their life. And patients who have made a considered, informed decision to avoid metal in the body — a position we take seriously without pretending the evidence forces it.
For everyone else, titanium remains the more predictable choice, and saying so is not a sales position. It is what fifty years of data supports. What we will not do is tell you that the titanium implant you already have is making you unwell, or offer to remove a sound one on that theory. That belongs with the rest of the claims we decline to make.
What we can do now
If metal-free matters to you, there is a good deal we already do without metal: milled ceramic onlays and crowns, BPA-free composite, and mercury-safe amalgam removal under rubber-dam isolation. And if you would rather not wait for the monolithic design, a titanium implant, a bridge and a denture each have a case — set out on the implants page.
Questions
Do you place zirconia implants at Calm Dental?
Yes. We are also open about being cautious with the conventionally shaped one-piece ceramic fixtures, because in our judgement they have not proved reliable enough to recommend routinely. We are introducing a monolithic single-piece zirconia implant that we expect to perform considerably better, subject to HSA approval and with no firm date. Titanium, Straumann and Hiossen, is still what we place most often.
Are zirconia implants better than titanium?
Not better, different. Titanium has around fifty years of published clinical data and a two-piece design that gives the surgeon more flexibility in angulation. Zirconia is metal-free, white rather than grey so it does not show through thin gum, and the evidence base is shorter — good medium-term survival data, less long-term. For most patients titanium remains the more predictable choice.
Who should consider a zirconia implant?
Patients with a diagnosed titanium sensitivity, those with very thin gum tissue at the front of the mouth where a grey shadow would show, and patients who have made a considered decision to avoid metal in the body. It is a small group, and the decision should follow an examination rather than precede it.
Do zirconia implants cost more?
Generally yes. The fixtures cost more, fewer laboratories work with the prosthetic components, and the surgical protocol is less forgiving of error. We will publish a fee when we place them, not before.
Is titanium in an implant dangerous?
For the overwhelming majority of people, no. Titanium is one of the most biocompatible materials in medicine and is used in joint replacements and heart valves. True titanium allergy is rare and testable. We will not tell you that your titanium implant is making you ill, and we will not remove a sound, symptom-free implant on that theory.