Tooth loss is one of the most serious and potentially damaging dental problems that one can face. Unfortunately, it is also a fairly common dental complication. Luckily, when tooth loss does occur, there are multiple options available for replacement. At Sunridge Landing Dental, we offer dental implants in NE Calgary, which are considered by many to be the most effective and strong tooth replacement option.
Dental implants use small titanium screws to anchor replacement teeth to the jawbone, providing strong and sturdy support for a full range of dental restorations such as crowns and bridges.
However, it took centuries to establish the perfect treatment using dental implants. In this blog post, we take you through the history of dental implants so that you can understand how dental implants near you came to be considered the gold standard for tooth replacement in dentistry by our dentist in NE Calgary.
Historic Remedies for Tooth Loss
While dental implants may be relatively new to the field of dentistry, tooth loss is not. Tooth loss was a concern for all civilizations, perhaps even more so in our past. However, there is evidence that attempts were made to address tooth loss.
In the early days, tooth loss treatment depended on where and when a person lived, but some options included bamboo, various metals, animal teeth, and human teeth.
The Discovery of Osseointegration
As time moved forward, people began to gain a better insight into oral health, and dentistry advanced. Still, for centuries, people have tried many implant designs and materials without success.
The main issues were a lack of stability and the body’s natural defense mechanisms working to reject foreign objects. It wasn’t until 1952 that an orthopedic surgeon discovered the process of osseointegration. This surgeon’s name was Per-Ingvar Brânemark, and he discovered osseointegration while conducting a study on bone healing and blood flow. During his study, he placed a titanium cylinder into a rabbit bone. When his study was finished, he attempted to remove the cylinder from the rabbit bone and found that he couldn’t. The bone had grown around the titanium, making it a permanent part of the bone.
Although the discovery of osseointegration was not the intent of his study, Dr. Brânemark realized that this was an essential discovery that could revolutionize medicine and dentistry.
The First Dental Implant
After discovering osseointegration, it was believed that a titanium implant screw would be able to hold a false tooth and act as an artificial tooth root, which was proven to be true.
In 1965, the first-ever dental implant was placed in a human. The procedure was successful, and ever since then, the dental implant design has been studied and improved for optimal function.
To this day, dental implants are considered to be the most effective and successful form of tooth replacement. When you visit a dentist near you for a dental implant today, you will receive a small titanium screw that is surgically placed into your jawbone. After having time to heal, this screw will be attached to an abutment and a dental restoration will be placed on top of that.
To learn more about dental implants, don’t hesitate to contact our team at Sunridge Landing Dental. We are happy to provide you with dental implants to restore your smile and improve your oral health.