A Look Back at the Evolution of Dental Implants

When it comes to missing teeth, it’s hardly a modern problem. Your ancestors experienced it themselves, but they had their own methods to correct the gaps that were made. Their ideas then opened the door to create the dental implants you know of today. They are now a great solution because of decades of research, but here’s how they began and how they evolved to benefit you.

The Early Start of Dental Implants

There has been evidence of people replacing missing teeth dating back 4,000 years. Ancient Chinese communities would carve bamboo pegs and then place them into their jawbone. Fast forward 2,000 years, and Egyptians would insert precious metals like jade or ivory. However, these options weren’t very reliable because they couldn’t fuse to the jaw very well.

Modern Dental Implants Rising

Granted, each community had its own methods for proto-implants, but the tooth replacement you know of today didn’t start to find its footing until the 1500s to 1800s. During this time, there were consistent advancements, such as using metal alloys. They still weren’t the best, but Dr. E.J. Greenfield thought of using 24-karat gold in the 1900s.

It didn’t fuse to the jawbone, but Drs. Alvin and Moses Strock continued the research and used Vitallium. This is also an alloy, but it’s biocompatible, meaning it led to the first successful dental implants!

The next breakthrough was in 1952 by Dr. Per-Ingvar Brånemark. He studied bone healing and regeneration, testing with titanium. He placed a rod into a rabbit’s femur and let it heal, but when he tried to remove it, he noticed the metal had completely fused to the bone. This accidental discovery led to the first implants of this material in 1965.

Dental Implants Today as a Viable Tooth Replacement

Nowadays, Dr. Brånemark’s research can still be seen as modern dental implants still use titanium as a base. Zirconia has been added to the mix as a metal-free alternative, and the restoration on top uses high-quality materials like porcelain or ceramic.

These all come together to give natural-looking results. Advanced technology has also made the placement procedure effective and efficient, so you can feel confident knowing this tooth replacement has evolved to benefit you today.

About the Author

Dr. Eric Barajas earned his dental degree from the UCLA School of Dentistry. He now has over 30 years of experience, allowing him to offer a wide range of treatments to patients in Chula Vista. Dr. Barajas partners with local dental implant specialists, so you can get expert care while restoring your grin. If you have any questions about this tooth replacement, schedule an appointment or call his office at 619-482-7367.