Today, dentists consider dental implants to be the best way to replace missing teeth, but it took a lot of trial and error to get to that point. Many cultures throughout history have viewed a complete smile as a sign of wealth, beauty, and success, and attempts at dental implantation in previous centuries were not as safe and effective as modern tooth replacement treatments. Here’s a brief guide to the evolution of dental implants and how they can benefit you today.
Ancient Implants
As far as 4,000 years ago, people in China were using bamboo pegs to replace missing teeth. 2,000 years later, Egyptians began carving precious metals into artificial teeth and pegging them to the jawbone. Throughout the world, archaeologists have found many skulls with teeth made from materials like ivory, seashells, and rare gems. In some cultures, people tried to implant teeth taken from animals or the dead into their jawbones.
How Did Modern Dental Implants Evolve?
The human body naturally tends to reject foreign objects, which makes developing reliable dental implant treatments difficult. While attempts to create dental implants made from gold alloys were met with failure in the nineteenth century, they helped researchers realize that a successful dental implant had to fuse with the jawbone through a natural process called osseointegration. In the twentieth century, Drs. Alvin and Moses Strock created the first successful dental implants from Vitallium alloy.
The Dawn of Modern Dental Implants
In 1952, researchers discovered that titanium implanted into bone would fuse with the surrounding structure, which set the stage for the development of modern dental implants. The first titanium dental implant successfully formed a strong bond with the patient’s jawbone. The process improved over the following decades, creating more reliable and lifelike implants that can provide patients with significant quality-of-life improvements.
Today, dental implants boast a success rate of over 95%, making them a sound investment as well as an effective treatment. Consulting with your dentist can determine if you qualify for dental implants.
About the Practice
Devonshire Dental of Boston delivers the finest dental health care available to the community of Boston, MA. Led by Drs. Dean Levy, Christa Rizkallah, Annie Amsalem, and Christine Melito, the staff sees to each patient receiving holistic and compassionate services in a friendly and clean environment. Areas of expertise include general, cosmetic, restorative, and emergency dentistry as well as dental implant services. For more information on what dental implants can do for you, contact the office online or dial (617) 350-7474.