For thousands of years, humans have attempted to replace missing teeth by inserting various materials directly into the jawbone. The Mayans were using shells as prosthetic teeth as early as 600 AD. However, until 1952, there is no proof of a successful endosseous implant. Today, your Milford dentists would like to share the history of dental implants, from the Mayans until the present day.
Timeline of Implant Dentistry
600s Archeologists, excavating a Mayan burial site, recovered the mandible of a young female. There were three shells inserted into the jawbone, shaped like human teeth. While the shells obviously did not fuse to the jawbone, this still remains the first known example of prosthetic teeth being placed into the jawbone during the life of the patient. Ancient Egyptians observed a similar practice, but it was a burial ritual, not an attempt to replace missing teeth during life.
1700s Missing teeth were replaced with teeth from human donors. This method was unsuccessful primarily because the immune system rejected the foreign object, thereby inhibiting osseointegration.
1800s Metals such as gold and platinum were used to replace teeth. These metals also failed to fuse with bone tissue.
1952 By accident, Per-Ingvar Branemark, a Swedish orthopedic surgeon, discovered that titanium successfully bonds with living bone tissue, and that the bond is irreversible. This advancement is the basis for modern dental implants.
1965 Branemark placed the first successful dental implant into a living human jawbone.
And the rest, as they say, is history.
Contact Us for a Consultation
If you are suffering with missing teeth, Sensitive Care Cosmetic and Family Dentistry offers the miraculous prosthetic option of dental implants. Whether you are missing a single tooth, or an entire arch, we can place and restore your implants in our office, without the need of visiting multiple specialists. Contact our Milford dentist office for a consultation at (203) 878-6699.