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One of the most important developments in modern
dentistry has been the ability to successfully replace missing
teeth using titanium implants that anchor directly into
the jawbone. From one tooth up to a whole arch, or simply to stabilize
a moving denture, dental implants provide alternatives to conventional
dentistry and expand the treatment options we can offer. You will
enjoy the security and comfort of fixed restorations that look
and feel just like your own teeth.
Man's desire to replace missing teeth dates centuries
back to pre-columbian times where remains of a Honduran skull
show evidence of a black stone "implant" replacing a
lower incisor. Throughout history, different materials and designs
have been tried ranging from different metals to porcelain, plastic
and rubber all with varying degress of success. Today, the material
of choice is titanium.
The use of titanium is attributed to an accidental
finding by Professor Per-Ingvar Brånemark in 1952 in Lund,
Sweden. While investigating wound healing, Professor Brånemark
had placed temporary titanium microscopes into the bone. To his
dismay, initially, when trying to recover these fixtures, he found
that they couldn't be removed! Not only were they biocompatible
but the bone seemed to grow up against the metal and complete
healing occured. This process of bone healing to titanium is called
"osseointegration" and provides the biological basis
of dental implantology.
The first practical application of osseointegration
was the implantation of new titanium roots in an edentulous patient
in 1965. More than thirty years later, the non-removable teeth
attached to these roots are still functioning perfectly.
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