A Look Into the History of Dental Implants
Dental problems have been prevalent throughout different societies since the dawn of civilization. Regardless of what era a person was living through, tooth loss was still something that presented the problems we face today, like disintegrating jawbones and advanced gum disease.
Unfortunately, dental implants weren’t always an option. The modern dental implant we know didn’t even come around until the 1960s.
Early BC and AD remedies for tooth loss varied between gold ligature wires (ancient Egypt), fake teeth crafted from oxen bones (the Etruscans), and shells implanted into the mandible (the Mayans).
As you can see, no matter the era, everyone has always wanted a smile that functions and are as beautiful as possible. Let’s take a closer look at how dental implants evolved into the wonderful process our patients can experience today!
The 1700s: Teeth Transplant Ideas Begin to Form
In the 1700s, Dr. John Hunter, a Scottish surgeon, discovered that it was potentially possible to accomplish a successful tooth transplant.
This discovery came to light when the surgeon implanted a tooth onto a rooster’s comb. Over time, the underdeveloped tooth and the comb became one as the tooth embedded into the comb, and the pulp of the tooth and vessels of the rooster’s comb began to intertwine.
While this is still lightyears away from the standard dental implant that we know today, this discovery paved the wayfor even more dental discoveries in the years to come.
The 1930s: Biocompatible Metal for Dental Implants, Found!
The 1900s saw many dental specialists attempt to create permanent dental implants. However, discovering suitable materials to yield long-term results was extremely difficult. Eventually, in the 1930s, two brothers, Dr. Alvin and Moses Strock, used Vitallium as a dental implant anchor. This effort proved to be the first recorded successful dental implant and guaranteed a biocompatible metal for future dental implant specialists to use as a starting point in their procedures.
The 1940s and Beyond: Dental Implants Begin to Flourish
Our industry truly began to transform from developing the first stainless steel implant that encouraged jawbone growth with metal to the creation of the spiral design of dental implants that helped improve their fit and reliability. Our industry truly began to transform in the 1940s.
Dr. Per-Ingvar Branemark is regarded as one of the greatest pioneers in dental implant history. He is known for the discovery of osseointegration. During an experiment on rabbits, Dr. Branemark discovered that titanium could embed itself into the bone and reduce the risk of fractures.
This discovery eventually led to the practice of titanium dental implants being used on people starting in the 1960s.
How Has FastNewSmile Changed the Industry?
We are incredibly proud of where our industry started, and our prosthodontists’ contributions have cemented into their progress. Where the standard dental implant has typically taken several weeks and appointments to create a new smile, our process offers a “teeth-in-a-day” experience that can’t be matched.
Regardless of your dental implant needs, we can replace a single tooth or a complete bridge within a day. Our patients always leave with a new smile that we think would blow away the first teeth replacement innovators from ancient times!
Become a Piece of Dental History With FastNewSmile, Today!
If you are someone who knows they need dental implants but are nervous about the process, the dental implant specialists of FastNewSmile are here to help shine some light on the procedure.
Our dental implants have one of the highest success rates in the nation and can help restore your smile the same day of your appointment. We suggest taking our quiz to find out if our procedure is right for you and then schedule a free consultation once you’ve realized that you are, in fact, a perfect candidate for safe, lasting dental implants!