In recent years, dental implants have been recognized by both patients and practitioners as one of the most effective methods of replacing teeth. They’re incredibly powerful, capable of giving you powerful bite strength and offering durability far beyond what other styles of tooth replacement can offer.
However, this wasn’t always the case—dental implants have had a long history, and a lot of work has gone in to making them what they are today. If you’re curious, here’s what this evolution looked like.
Ancient Implants
Replacing teeth by putting something into the jaw isn’t a new idea at all. In fact, it’s something that has been attempted by various civilizations across the planet since ancient times.
Bone records of the Ancient Mayans contain jaws with small pieces of shell and carved stones placed into them. The Chinese placed bamboo pegs in the bone tissue as far back as 600 A.D., and Ancient Egyptians did the same with metal.
Early Modern Implants
By the early modern period in Europe, metal had been selected as the best material for dental implants. Gold amalgam was used for its resistance to tarnishing, as well as silver and porcelain. However, the problem was that the human body often rejected these materials, meaning that replacing teeth with them was largely ineffective.
However, this wasn’t all that was attempted. As was common for all kinds of dental appliances at that time, many kinds of dental implants used human teeth harvested from cadavers.
Dental Implants into Today
Experiments with dental implants were largely unsuccessful until the 20th century. The biggest breakthrough came in 1952, when Dr. Per-Ingvar Branemark discovered that titanium had the capacity to actually fuse with bone tissue when placed into the body. This solved the long-standing issue of what material to use for implants—here was one that was durable, resistant to tarnishing, and would not be rejected by the body.
His research was not broadly recognized until the 1980s, which began the so-called “implant revolution” in dentistry. This leads us to today, where dental implants are celebrated as one of the most effective methods of replacing teeth. If you’re interested in pursuing this treatment, now you have a new appreciation for what it can do for you.
About Our Practice
At Northern Virginia Oral, Maxillofacial & Implant Surgery, we’re proud to be a practice where people from all of the state can come to get complex services in a comfortable environment. We have a team of incredible oral surgeons on staff with a variety of specialties, meaning that for whatever services you could possibly need from us, we’ll be able to provide you with the dental care that you need.
If you have any questions about dental implants, we can be reached at our website or by phone at (703) 425-5010.