Dental implants
have been around in various forms for centuries. Only in the last thirty years,
however, have they come to provide reliable replacements for natural teeth.
In
the mid sixties a surgeon by the name of Branemark accidentally discovered that
titanium cylinders placed gently into bone and left undisturbed for three months
could actually bond to the bone.
A dental implant is an artificial tooth root placed into your jaw. This allows
for a replacement tooth or bridge to be held in place. Dental implants are actually
more tooth-saving than traditional bridgework, because they do not rely on neighboring
teeth for support. Dental implants also look and feel natural. They preserve the
jaw bones because they continue to stimulate bone activity following natural tooth
loss.
Hundreds
of thousands of dental implants have been placed in the mouths of people who were
tired of floppy removable replacement teeth. Research has been conducted all over
the world at numerous dental facilities. The success rates have been over 90%
over the last 40 years.
Put
simply, a dental implant is a titanium cylinder with threads and a rough surface
which is gently placed in the jaw of an individual. Titanium is a bioactive metal
which, when undisturbed, is extremely biocompatible with the body.The body therefore
bonds directly to the implant surface with a bond that is even stronger than to
a natural teeth.
