What are dental implants?
Replicating the natural function and appearance of your lost teeth can be very difficult to accomplish. Historically, dentures or bridge restorations would be used as replacements, but with limited positive results. Dental implants, however, are natural-looking replacements for missing teeth that also have the same function as your natural, regular tooth. They have also been used to anchor these other types of restorations with greater success and patient satisfaction.
A more natural approach
A dental implant is a small, sturdy, titanium cylinder that acts as the root structure similar to a natural tooth. A dental implant is placed into your upper or lower jawbone. After the bone has grown around the implant, it can hold a crown, bridge or over-denture just like roots hold natural teeth in place. Implants are very durable and usually last a lifetime. They do, however, require the same maintenance as natural teeth; this includes brushing, flossing and regular dental checkups.
A single tooth or a full arch of teeth which have been lost due to injury or disease can be replaced with dental implants. Titanium metal is used because of its compatibility with bone and oral tissues and due to its natural bacteria fighting qualities.
Untreated Missing Tooth
- Unattractive appearance
- Loss of chewing function
- Accelerated bone loss
Traditional Crown & Bridge
- Attractive appearance
- Cuts down healthy teeth
- Bone loss under bridge
Implant with a crown
- Attractive appearance
- Full chewing function
- Prevents bone loss
Implant 3D simulation : View Animation
Dental implant history
Dental Implants were developed in 1952, in a laboratory in the university town of Lund, Sweden by Professor Per-Ingvar Branemark, who had a “lucky” accident. During bone grafting research, much to his dismay, Dr. Branemark discovered that it was impossible to recover any of the bone-anchored titanium microscopes he was using. The titanium plate had apparently bonded irreversibly to living bone tissue, an observation which contradicted all scientific theory at the time.
Dr. Branemark went on to demonstrate that under carefully controlled conditions, titanium could be structurally integrated into living bone with a very high degree of predictability, and without long term soft tissue inflammation or rejection. BrÃ¥nemark coined the name “osseointegration”, meaning the attachment of healthy bone to a titanium implant.
Thus, dental implants were born and the first application of dental osseointegration, as Dr. Branemark called it, was the implantation of new titanium roots in an edentulous (toothless) patient in 1965. Since then, dental implants have shown a 90 percent success rate and long-term studies continue to show improving success.
Reasons you would want to consider dental implants:
- Replace one or more teeth
- Provide support for a partial denture
- Increase the support and stability of full upper or lower denture
- Enhance chewing comfort
- Increase confidence while smiling, talking and eating
- Improve your overall psychological health
- To improve aesthetic appearance and regain overall confidenc
Summary
In 1952, the first dental implants were developed and since that time technology has taken leaps and bounds to give us the most modern solution for missing teeth. Dental implants restore optimum oral health, as well as confidence and hope to those who have suffered tooth loss.