It might be a surprise, but dental implants have been in development for a very long time. It’s fascinating to observe how determined human beings can be, and when it comes to medical science, there’s no exception. We truly need to give credit where credit is due when it comes to the technology of dental implants.
Your dentist in Lafayette is so impressed by their rich history, they’ve started writing about them for patients! Today, we’ll be discussing the origins of dental implants and how we got to this point.
The History of Dental Implants
Based on archeological evidence, humans have tried to replace missing teeth before, albeit through far less hygienic circumstances and less ideal methods. According to remains found in China over 4,000 years ago, carved bamboo pegs were tapped into bone to replace lost teeth. Over 2,000 years ago in Egypt, pegs were also made from precious metals to create them.
In 1931, Wilson Popenoe and his wife were exploring artifacts at a site Honduras that dated back to 600 A.D. There, they found something that would eventually be added to the Osteological Collection of the Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology at Harvard University. They had discovered the lower mandible of a young Mayan woman whose three missing incisors were replaced with pieces of shell, designed to replace missing teeth.
Apparently, bone growth had occurred around the implants as well as calculus, indicating the shell implants were designed with functionality as well as esthetic in mind. However, it would be many centuries until the first clinical implementation of dental implants would be recorded.
Titanium’s Role in Dental Implant Technology
Dr. Per-Ingvar Branemark, the father of the modern dental implant, is widely credited for the many advances in dental implant technology. But before he had the chance to even perform implant surgery on a volunteer, his team had to discover titanium’s role in the implantation process.
While viewing how optical cases encased in titanium healed in the lower legs of rabbits, they found it was extremely difficult to remove them because the metal had effectively fused into the bone and could not be removed. Branemark eventually dubbed this process “osseointegration,” which is exactly what occurs with modern dental implants.
Today, titanium is considered a “biocompatible” material, meaning it works well with bone and tissue in the human body, making it an incredibly useful tool in producing prosthetics.
Dental Implants in Lafayette
Nowadays, all dental implants are made from titanium, which is a far cry from the bamboo pegs found in China and Egypt thousands of years prior. They’re also accompanied with an abutment and crown to keep the implant covered and protected from bacteria in the mouth. They’re success rate is incredibly high, and entire associations such are centered exclusively around the technology.
Dentists across the country now specialize in implant dentistry and recommend them as the best method for tooth-replacement. This is due to their incredible durability and function when compared to natural teeth. To learn more about modern dental implants in Lafayette and your eligibility for implantation, contact your dentist today!
About the Practice
Sage Dental Care has been family-owned and operated since 2010. When it comes to dental implants, the practice believes them to be truly state-of-the-art, providing significant benefits for patients’ oral health, self-confidence, and quality of life. To learn more about Sage Dental Care, you can contact their employees at (303) 604-6355 or visit their website.