Millions of people suffering from tooth loss have already benefited from dental implant restorations. With its help, people were once again able to enjoy the food they love and felt less self-conscious when showing off their teeth. Although dentures can also achieve this feat, some factors set dental implants apart. For one, it is the use of titanium implant posts that serves to replace the lost tooth roots, at the same time, act as anchors to hold prostheses securely in place.
The first-ever dental implant was installed into a person’s jaw in the year 1965, but did you know that this approach was already practiced as far back as 4,000 years ago? Find out how it all started with the most popular dental restoration today! We at Diamond Dental prepared a brief history of dental implants below, read on.
The Ancient History of Dental Implants
- As mentioned above, the modern idea of dental implantation started 4,000 years ago in ancient China. During this time, people carved bamboo pegs and used them as a replacement for missing teeth.
- Archeologists discovered Egyptian remains, including one that belonged from a king who has a copper peg inserted into his upper jaw. Although it is more likely that the process was performed after death, this was considered as the first case of metal implantation.
- In a Celtic grave in France, a 2300-year-old false tooth was discovered among real teeth. As with the case of the Egyptian king, the teeth replacement may have occurred after death since it would have been excruciating.
- A couple of millennia ago, people used to replace lost teeth using the teeth of animals and even humans. However, this method can lead to infections and also cause the host to reject the implantation.
- Archaeologists named Dr. and Mrs. Wilson Popenoe made an amazing discovery in the year 1931 when they were excavating Mayan ruins in Honduras. They found a lower jaw with three tooth-shaped shells implanted on it—what’s impressive is, the bone around the shell showed signs of regeneration!
Since then, researchers experimented using different types of materials, including gold and alloys; however, they presented poor results. The issue most experts encounter is that the body and bone tend to reject foreign bodies. And for a successful dental implant, the restoration used should fuse with the bone—a process referred to as osseointegration.
In 1952, one orthopedic surgeon accidentally discovered the ideal material to use for dental implants in the form of titanium. It was when he wasn’t able to remove the titanium cylinder placed on a rabbit’s femur after it had fused together. It was the same orthopedic surgeon who installed the first-ever dental implant into the jaw of a live volunteer.
Who would have thought that the experiments of curious people since ancient times became one of the most go-to solutions to tooth loss nowadays? Thanks to the continuous improvements in oral care Dental Implants in Newtown, CT can provide patients with a reliable, convenient, comfortable, and natural-looking teeth restorations. If you are interested in this procedure, call or visit us at Diamond Dental!