The concept of using rotary tools to cut hard materials, such as granite, is at least 6,000 years old. As early as 25,000 BCE, our ancestors were using hand-held lithic borers to cut through shells without breaking them. These tools were generally made of flint, and pressed against the object to be perforated and then rotated back and forth at low speed and relatively high torque. Powerful modern handpieces have elevated the principle of variable speed and high torque to enable precise cuts into much harder materials like zirconia.

This study once more underlines that patients who do not regularly attend check-ups after receiving their implant-supported restoration have a very high risk of peri-implant diseases in general and specifically peri-implantitis; based on this data, at least two check-up visits per year are recommended.

The fight for periodontally compromised teeth and therefore retaining these teeth usually also pays off for patients from a financial perspective and is usually cheaper than extraction and subsequent implantation.

Patients with rheumatoid arthritis are at significantly higher risk of periodontitis and this risk increases further for patients with particularly active rheumatoid arthritis.