It is likely that if you have already heard of dental implants and you probably first did so within the last ten to twenty years. This is not surprising as revolutionary treatments such as this can take some time before gaining a wider popularity. This is certainly the case now with so many people opting for implants as the best solution for replacing their missing teeth.
The idea of dental implants certainly did not come overnight, and in today’s blog, we are going to take a brief look at the advance of implants over the years. This started back in ancient times, where the ‘implants’ used were certainly something that patients of Blake Dental Witham will be relieved are no longer an option! We especially hope that the section on the development of modern implants will help you to understand a key part of the treatment, osseointegration, a little better.
Archeological excavations have discovered a rudimentary form of dental implants going as far back as around the year 6000 BC. The earliest discoveries were in ancient China where it was found that bamboo pegs had been used to replace missing teeth. Similarly, the ancient Estruscans and Egyptians used things such as ivory, stone or even sea shells that were placed into the gums; similarly, the Mayans too.
The one thing that raises debate about these implants though is whether they were used to replace missing teeth, presumably for aesthetic reasons as they would be of little practical use, or whether they were used to beautify the body in preparation for its journey to the next world.
The first definite attempt to place dental implants as a practical tooth substitute came around the 1800s where natural teeth, either from other humans or from animals, were used to replace the missing teeth, presumably of the wealthy. Although well intentioned, this method of trying to transplant a tooth into another human being proved to be a failure with most of them failing due to rejection by the recipient’s body or through infection.
Similar to the above attempts, the same method was used except this time, creating replacement teeth which included the root made from gold, porcelain or ceramic. Unfortunately, these were not successful for the same reasons and especially due to infections.
Similar attempts using various materials and including a screw like root were used to attempt to replace a tooth with an implant. Although the idea of a screwed in tooth seemed likely to work, once again lack of material compatibility and infection led to the experiment failing.
This is the year when modern dental implants really came into being.
During an experiment into general bone healing, a Swedish surgeon, Dr. Per-Ingvar Brånemark discovered that when he went to retrieve the titanium rods he had placed into rabbit bone during experiment, he found that he couldn’t remove them as easily as he thought he would be able to. On closer examination, he found that this was due to the fact that the titanium rods had fused to the bone.
This accidental discovery which we know as osseointegration led to further tests and experiments, and in 1965, the very first dental implant placement as we know it today took place. The procedure was such a success that, in 2005, a full forty years after they had been placed, the recipient’s dental implants were found to be still fully functional when he passed away. As you can see, although we advise our Witham patients that implants should last for twenty years or more, with good cleaning and perhaps a little good fortune, they can last a lot longer!
From around this time, teeth implant placements became more common, largely with the wealthier section of society at first. Like many things that start out expensive, these have now become more widely available and while still not the cheapest option, are more affordable for the general public, especially if advantage is taken of our payment plans that help to spread the cost of your treatment.
Although initially, dental implants replaced each tooth one by one, new advances were made that allowed multiple teeth to be replaced with fewer implants. These are often now referred to as ‘all on 4’ procedures which use a fixed bridge of teeth secured in place by just a few implants.
New materials and other advances are continuously being discovered and these have improved the experience even further. The same can be said for digital imaging technology that helps to ensure that your new teeth implants are positioned exactly as they should be.
We are sure that our Witham implant patients are really grateful that they can have them placed now and not in years gone bye. Our experienced and friendly team are here to help you have a positive implant placement and are available for any advice or questions that you might have.
If you would like to find out more about dental implants (the modern versions of course!), please call Blake Dental to arrange an initial consultation to discuss this. You can do this by calling us on 01376 501688 and we look forward to helping you.
