Tuesday, February 26, 2013

Early Dental Implants...

When we think of dental implants, most people consider the process to be fairly new, however, Maya Civilization has shown the earliest known evidence of dental implants to be from around 600 A.D.

During an excavation in Honduras in 1931, a lower jaw bone (mandible) was discovered.  It is believed to be that of a female in her twenties.  This bone showed evidence of the first known dental implants.  Three tooth-shaped pieces of shell had been placed into the sockets of three missing lower teeth.

Over the years of development we have seen a wide range of materials used to replace missing teeth including shells, carved stones such as jade, silver, gold and even real teeth from donor patients.  It has become evident that the most consistently integrated material with the highest success rate is Titanium.  Titanium implants have become the standard of care when implants are used.  They became very popular in the 80's and have steadily increased in use and success.

A modern dental implant is a Titanium post that is inserted into the bone of the upper or lower jaw to replace the root of a missing tooth.  The implant integrates with the bone of the jaw and provides a solid foundation for a crown, allowing for a natural looking smile.  Implants are also used to help anchor dentures more solidly in place for better chewing and function.

If you have a missing tooth or several teeth or an ill-fitting denture call our office to see if you would be a candidate for dental implants.

Smiles,
Holly

1 comment:

  1. Dental implants essentially act as replacement teeth. unneeded to mention, there will ne'er extremely be a real replacement for the teeth you are doing not have in your mouth any longer. However, science and technology has evolved to the purpose wherever the overwhelming majority of individuals will extremely be helped by having them put in in their mouth.


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