Introduction

My first two volumes, "Theories & Techniques of Oral Implantology", published by the C.V. Mosby Co., was a treatise of all the various disciplines of oral implantology. This included subperiosteal implants for completely edentulous mandibles as well as for unilateral situations occurring in severely atrophied mandibles. The many types of endosteal implants were thoroughly covered such as those of Formiggini, Peron Andtes, Chercheve, Muratori, Tramonte, Lehmans, Sandhaus, and others, including my own self-tapping titanium vent-plant screws. Horizontal and verticals transfixations, transplants, re-implants, and endodontic endosteal stabilizers also were minutely described with accurate photos and detailed diagrams. Chapters were also included which illustrated the blade implant technique that I devised and pioneered.

With the advent of the endosteal wedge-shaped vented blade implant, implantology had marked an entirely new and profound dimension. Many colleagues who were skeptical regarding implants became more and more interested in this completely new and exciting system.

The eagerness and sincere wishes of so many of the dentists to whom I have lectured throughout most of the world, for a completely new book to be written by me exclusively on blade implants, had finally influenced me to pursue this new and unique volume.

All other types of implants in use prior to the blade were greatly limited in their usage, scope and success. Endosteal screw type implants depended on their depth in bone, their diameter, their inner and outer thread dimensions as well as the size of their vents, if any, for their retention. The tripodial pins for best results depended on their depth and degree of divergence from one another. The subperiosteal implants were only successful when placed over resorbed bone.

Lateral force breakdown usually occurred, especially in the completely edentulous maxillae and mandibles when screws and pins were the sole supports.

It was not until I began incising and reflecting the fibromucosal tissue to expose the underlying bone that I realized that the era of screw and pin implantology had to come to an end and would be replaced by something entirely different in shape, design and principle since many of our screws and pins were perforating the bone.

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