Dental implants have truly transformed the dental field, allowing dentists to offer patients a way to not just replace the visible portion of their missing teeth, but their entire root structures as well. As advanced as the technology and techniques that dentists use today are, the idea of dental implants goes back to ancient times. Read below to learn how dental implants went from a scientific land of possibilities to changing the lives of millions of people every year.
Tooth Replacement in Ancient Times
Dental implants as we know them today haven’t been around for forever, but the idea of replacing missing teeth dates all the way back to ancient China, around 600 A.D. In those days, small bamboo pegs would be carved out and fixed to the jaw to serve as replacement teeth, allowing people to continue eating and speaking with ease. Thousands of years later, Egyptians began carving precious metals to replace missing teeth and placing them into the jawbone as well. Ultimately, these techniques would serve as the foundation for modern day solutions for replacing missing teeth.
The Birth of Modern Dental Implants
It wasn’t until the mid to late 20th century that dental implants began to resemble how we know them today. A doctor began studying regeneration of bone by placing titanium in a rabbit femur in the 1950s, only to realize that the metal fully fused with the bone. In 1965, Dr. Branemark placed the first titanium implant in a human patient, and it wasn’t until the late 1980s that dentists began placing dental implants in their patients.
Advancements in Dental Technology
Since the 21st century, the technological advancements in the dental community have soared. New instruments come out nearly every year, ranging from digital impressions and cone beam CT imaging to computer-guided dental implant surgery and more. Thanks to these state-of-the-art technologies, dentists are able to place and restore dental implants with greater accuracy and success. In fact, the success rate of dental implants after five years of placement is 98%!
Dental Implants as We Know Them Today
Today, dental implants remain the only treatment for tooth loss that restores both the visible crowns of teeth in addition to the underlying root structures. This allows them to offer truly lifelike results in every way, helping patients not only smile with more confidence, but also eat and speak with greater ease. That’s why over five million dental implants are placed annually in the United States.
You can benefit from dental implants, too! The first step is to call your local dental implant dentist in Irving to schedule a consultation. They will help determine whether you’re a good candidate for the procedure and help you better understand the unique advantages they offer over other restorative treatments.
About the Author
Dr. Rafiq Hirji has over a decade of experience in the dental field and extensive additional training in a number of specialty services, including dental implants, sedation dentistry, and more. He’s able to complete both the restoration and placement aspects of the dental implant procedure in-house, allowing his patients to stick with the same trusted expert they know throughout their entire process. For questions or to schedule a consultation to learn more about dental implants, visit Daily Smiles MacArthur Dental & Orthodontics’ website or call 972-546-4114.