Many people experience tooth loss and greatly benefit from dental implants—improving their smile and oral health in a big way. So, how did dental implants come to be?

Years of experiments and improvements have brought forth the go-to solution for tooth loss today. The history of dental implants goes way back, even as far as 4,000 years. We want to share with you the leaps of improvement dental implants have made over the years and how they could potentially help you in the future.

What are Dental Implants?

First, what exactly do dental implants do for your smile? Dental implants work to replace teeth, laying a healthy foundation for permanent or removable restorations.

During the process, the tooth roots are replaced with metal, screwlike posts much like hip or knee implants. Similar to a crown, the missing tooth is replaced with a prosthetic tooth. At our practice, Bryan G. Foote, D.D.S. Dentistry offers dental implant services to the Columbia, MO area.

If you’re still deciding about dental implants, they may be right for you if you…

Have one or more missing teeth (and want to improve the appearance of your smile)
Are unable or unwilling to wear dentures (and want more durable materials)
Want to improve your speech

The Evolution of Dental Implants

Dental implants have been around for centuries, but have drastically improved throughout the years. Dental implants are now considered the most advanced solution for missing teeth. Many dentists share their success rate as high as 97% long-term. Here is a brief overview of the history of dental implants:

As early as 2000 BC, the early stages of dental implants were used in the civilization of ancient China. Carved bamboo pegs replaced missing teeth.
About 3000 years ago, an Egyptian king had a copper peg hammered into his upper jawbone. This was the first recorded case of a metal replacement tooth being fixed to a jawbone.
In 1886 a porcelain crown on a platinum disc was mounted, but this had a poor, long-term success rate. Known as osseointegration, for a successful dental implant, it was discovered that the replacement tooth needed to be fused to the bone.
Dr. Per-Ingvar Brånemark (orthopedic surgeon/research professor) laid the foundation for today’s dental implants, as he used titanium to replace a missing tooth in one of his patients in 1965, which was a success.

Titanium has been implemented to make dental implants since Dr. Per-Ingvar Brånemark’s discovery. More than 7 million implants from the Brånemark System have been transplanted with millions of other implants from newer companies.

Finding Quality Dental Implants

You don’t have to go another day self-conscious about your smile or oral health. Restore your natural, beautiful smile with dental implants custom-made for you.

Make an appointment to discuss your oral health, the implant procedure, and financial options with Dr. Foote today. We can help!