Are you missing any teeth? Or do you already have dental implants in your mouth? As the leading tooth replacement option of modern times, it may seem to you that dental implants are a somewhat recent technological advancement. Believe it or not, the first dental implants actually date back more than 1,300 years. Of course, the technology has evolved greatly over time.
The Earliest Implants
The earliest recorded dental implants date back to the Ancient Mayans and Egyptians. These societies were surprisingly sophisticated. They figured out ways to hammer teeth-like pieces of shell, ivory, and animal bone into their gum tissues. Of course, this sounds like a fairly archaic (and uncomfortable) way to replace missing teeth. What these civilizations had in foresight, they lacked in medical advances. Infections ran rampant with this process.
Continued Evolution in the 19th Century
In the 1800s, the implant process started to evolve more closely to what it is today. At the start of the century, platinum, gold, and other metal alloys were placed into sockets where teeth had once been. Unfortunately, the cleanliness standards and tools for keeping surgical areas clean the process was unsuccessful long term.
Bonding with Titanium
In 1951, a vet in Sweden accidentally discovered the fact that titanium naturally bonds with living bone tissue by placing a screw in a animal’s leg bone. This led to an evolution of titanium use in surgeries for humans, and dental scientist began to develop dental implants. The titanium rods made their debut in 1965. In 1986, the Toronto Conference on Osseointegration in Clinical Dentistry developed guidelines for successful implant dentistry, setting the stage for continued growth in the popularity of dental implants. The tooth replacement procedure remains one of the most successful innovations in dentistry. Implants allow for maintenance of jawbone health so one lost tooth doesn’t have to lead to a mouth of missing teeth in the future.
Dental Implants from Grinnell Street Dental
The dentists at Grinnell Street Dental have successfully placed dental implants on many of their patients to give them brand new, beautiful smiles. Call Dr. Coon at (307) 672-7567 for more information or to reserve your appointment time.
