Dental Implant History - Amelia Island Periodontics

History of Dental Implants

The concept of a dental implant periodontist has existed since the 1970s, but according to archeologists, a “dental implant periodontist” may have been around for many centuries. When archeologists excavated Mayan skulls from as far back as 600 AD, they also discovered that some of the jaw bones contained missing tooth replacements made from a variety of natural resources, including jade, stone, and shell. This suggested that the Mayans may have been experimenting with different materials in an effort to find what works best. Despite not having the materials, technologies and tools used by today’s dental implant periodontists, some of these earliest dental implants seemed to work to some degree. The Mayans were on to something exciting, but today’s dental implant periodontists would not be able to share the real benefits of using dental implants if it was not for a discovery made in 1952. At that time, an orthopedic surgeon interested in how bone heals, was experimenting with a metal material called titanium. When he placed a tiny titanium cylinder in an area of bone, he found that it fused so tightly that it could not be removed. This natural fusion, a process that dental implant periodontists refer to today as osseointegration, is what makes modern titanium dental implants, which are also naturally decay-resistant, so successful.

Today: Dental Implants

Dental implants are now the preferred choice of tooth replacements, because they are flexible enough to be used for one missing tooth or many. Remarkable strides have also been made in dental implant technology. No longer a one-size-fits all, dental implants can now replicate the actual size and shape of a patient’s missing teeth. Visit Dr. Darryl Field for dental implants today!