Dental implants are advanced and cutting-edge now, to the point that they’re the gold standard of tooth replacement. Still, the posts didn’t just take their current form out of nowhere; they evolved over thousands of years to become highly effective dental restorations. You’d do well to consider their storied history and appreciate how far they’ve come. Luckily enough, your local dentist is here to bring you up to speed. Just keep reading to learn how dental implants have evolved to help you today!
“Ancient” Dental Implants
While it may sound surprising, dental implants got their start many thousands of years ago. They were developed by the ancients in their first attempts at dentistry.
Research on ancient China bears this out. Over 4,000 years ago, it seems the early Chinese carved bamboo pegs to serve as replacement teeth. These pegs would be fixed into a person’s jawbone to remain stable and secure.
Other ancient groups also developed their own dental implants. According to current studies, the first recorded case of a metal implant was found in an Egyptian king from 1,000 BCE. Archaeologists have also found ancient Egyptian remains with teeth made from ivory and jade.
Early Modern Dental Implants
Dental implants only grew more complex as centuries passed. By the 19th and 20th centuries, they’d made several advancements and begun to take a “modern” form.
Dentists of the 1800s brought on some of these changes, as they were diligent and resourceful. These folks saw that the body consistently rejected certain dental implant materials. To compensate, they employed science to determine the best substances to use. The results were often failures, but they fed into crucial research years later.
Many of the most successful changes for dental implants were in the 1900s. For example, Drs. Alvin and Moses Strock were the first to successfully place an implant in the 1930s. (They succeeded because said implant posts were made from Vitallium – a chromium-cobalt alloy.) The Swedish surgeon Ingvar Brånemark later discovered that titanium was biocompatible, making it the ideal dental implant material.
21st Century Dental Implants
Titanium is still the most used dental implant material, so Brånemark’s breakthrough hasn’t been overturned just yet. However, modern dentists continue to push today’s dental implants forward.
So far, a few notable advancements have been made in 21st-century dental implants. One would be cone beam CT scans – a technology that allows for highly precise implant placement. As for another big one, dentists have started to find ways for implants to stop bacterial films.
How dental implants have evolved has made them truly amazing restorations. Given that fact, remember to respect the posts as you restore your smile!
About the Practice
South Shore Dental Care is based in Massapequa Park, NY. Led by husband-and-wife Drs. Dory and Khalida Stutman, our practice offers comprehensive and cutting-edge dentistry. You can trust us for preventive, cosmetic, and restorative treatments tailored to your smile’s needs! We also place dental implants in-house, and we provide help for varied dental emergencies. For more details or to book a visit, please contact us on our website or by phone at (516)-798-3808.