Permanent tooth loss affects thousands of dental patients around the globe. Once a permanent tooth is gone, it’s gone for good. Unfortunately, it won’t just “grow back” as would hair and nails. Because of this, dental implants are continuing to increase in popularity.
What’s So Great About Dental Implants?
Dental implants are by far one of the most realistic dental procedures for replacing missing teeth. Dental implants are versatile for a variety of different patients from teenagers to elderly patients. These devices act as regular teeth, providing the ability to properly eat and speak.
This procedure will allow years of beautiful smiles. Both permanent and removable are options for patients.
Permanent versus Removable Dental Implants
Permanent dental implants are permanently drilled into the gums and jaw bone. Thus, they appear and feel just like any other tooth. However, these can be pricier than removable implants and possibly a little more difficult to clean.
Additionally, permanent dental implants require more soft tissue, better health of the gums, and a strong and developed jaw bone. For this reason, gum disease patients, those with missing soft tissue, or younger patients whose jaw lacks full development may not qualify. Or the latter folks may require another treatment prior to receiving a permanent implant.
As their name implies, removable dental implants can be removed. This makes cleaning a lot easier for some folks.
This type of dental implant is more affordable. However, these utilize less expensive materials and may not be as sturdy as the materials a permanent implant. Removable implants, despite being removable, still look and act like normal teeth.
Who’s Getting Dental Implants?
People across the globe are resorting to dental implant surgery. From as young as about 17- or 18-years-old to 90-years-old and older, patients are opting for this smile-changing procedure.
Patients who suffer from tooth loss due to improper oral hygiene skills, tooth decay, or general health problems opt for tooth implants. Those who suffered permanent tooth loss due to an accident are also looking into dental implants as an option.
Who Qualifies for the Procedure?
A strong, healthy, developed jaw is required especially for permanent dental implant surgery. Because a rod is placed into the jaw, the jaw will have to be sturdy enough to hold the tooth in place.
Healthy gums and plenty of soft tissue are also necessary to help support the tooth implant. A strong immune system is also a must for the procedure to ensure quick, proper healing.
Diabetics, those who take immunosuppressive drugs or steroids, or sufferers of gum disease may or may not be disqualified. However, the latter depends on several factors. Fortunately, a doctor and/or dentist may be able to fix the problem to ensure you’re capable of receiving a dental implant. Always check with a dental professional before assuming you’re unqualified for the procedure. You may in fact qualify!
The History and Evolution of Dental Implants
Dental implants seem like a modern innovation in your head. However, nothing could be farther from the truth. The history of dental implants actually goes way back to ancient civilizations. Of course, as time passed, the types of dental implant materials and dental implant procedures changed; the evolution might shock you. But despite the years, it still holds as one of the world’s most crucial dental innovations.
From bamboo pegs to copper, to realistic tooth implants made of titanium alloy, we’ve gone through different types of dental implants before perfecting the dental restoration. And each iteration has its own reasons for being what it was, be it the lack of technology or the minimal available materials of the time. It’s nonetheless interesting to look back at everything that’s brought dental implants to where they are.
That said, let’s take a quick glance at the history and evolution of dental implants.
The First Dental Implants Were Made of Bamboo, Copper, and Other Teeth
As with any dental milestone, the types of dental implant materials and dental implant procedures weren’t so savory nor safe. In Ancient China, people used bamboo pegs to replace missing teeth. To install them, you had to tap the bolt into the bone. You could imagine how excruciatingly painful this was. Nonetheless, they were the first people to use dental implants.
2,000 years later, the Ancient Egyptians used a similar method. Instead of bamboo, they carved teeth out of metal, such as copper. This was also tapped into the bone. Thanks to the study of some mummies, however, archaeologists also found ivory teeth and the teeth of other humans transplanted into the jawbone. One could assume that the Egyptians were the first to utilize human tooth transplants widely. Some still debate whether these transplants were done before or after death. So, this is still a point of argument.
Eventually, tooth transplants became the norm around the 18th century. The human teeth used ranged from people who sold their teeth to that of cadavers. And in the absence of human teeth, animal teeth would be used instead. This was, however, as hygienic or as safe as you’d think it to be. People with tooth implants were prone to diseases, which sometimes proved fatal. Dentists, as the history and evolution of dental implants show, looked to other means to replace their patients’ missing teeth.
Dental Implants as We Know it
How, then, did we get from bamboo pegs to the dental implants that we know now? According to the history and evolution of dental implants, it started with metal posts. At the time, dentists in the 18th to 19th century experimented with metal alloy posts, which they would insert into the jawbone. However, none of the metals were compatible with the jawbone, so they did not hold for long.
One physician, however, found that titanium can successfully integrate with the bone. Per-Ingvar Brånemark successfully implanted a titanium implant in a human, changing the dental landscape as we know it.
Until now, titanium is the number one option among the types of dental implant materials. And no longer do you have to slog through someone hammering in a tooth replacement into your jawbone. Anesthesia and a better dental implant procedure make the experience less traumatizing. So, while getting an implant is nerve-wracking, it only takes a quick look through the history and evolution of dental implants to realize it isn’t too bad.
