Ancient Dental Implants
Dental implants have been tried in many different cultures over the years with varying designs and materials. Although modern dental implants are more advanced, their origins can be traced back to the Ancient Chinese civilisation around 4000 years ago, when bamboo was shaped into pegs to replace missing teeth. Dental implants can also be linked to the Mayan civilisation around 1350 years ago, where carved pieces of shell were embedded into the jawbone to function as teeth.
Chinese bamboo implant.
Titanium is the material used for implants nowadays.
Titanium, originally named Gregorite after a British chemist in 1791, was independently discovered in 1793 by a German chemist who named it titanium after the Titans of Greek mythology – “the incarnation of natural strength”. In 1797, the German chemist confirmed that his titanium was the same as the British chemist’s Gregorite.
Titanium is silver in colour, has low density, and high strength. It also exhibits excellent corrosion resistance to many mineral acids, sea water, and chlorides. Titanium is nontoxic and is biologically compatible with human tissue and bone.
Titanium dental implant
A Swedish physician, Dr Per‑Ingvar Branemark, an orthopaedic surgeon, was interested in studying bone healing and regeneration. While studying, Dr Branemark observed that bone grew into close proximity with titanium and effectively adhered to the metal. Subsequent studies on animals and humans confirmed titanium’s unique property, which Dr Branemark termed “Osseointegration”. He performed his first dental implant in 1965.