As the leading tooth replacement option of today, it seems like dental implants would be a recent technological advancement. The first dental implants, however, date back more than 1,300 years to the ancient Mayans and Egyptians.
Take a look at this timeline to see how dental implantology has evolved over time.
Ancient History: Ancient Mayans and Egyptians hammer teeth-shaped pieces of shell, ivory, and animal bone directly into their gums to replace teeth.
1700s: Lost teeth are replaced using the teeth of human donors, but the process is unsuccessful due to infection from the foreign materials used during the placement of the implant.
1800s: Gold, platinum, and other metal alloys are placed into sockets where teeth had been freshly extracted. Long-term success rates are poor.
1952: Per-Ingvar Branemark, a Swedish doctor, accidentally discovers that titanium can bond with living bone tissue when he places a titanium screw in an animal’s thighbone. He has the idea to use titanium posts to bond dental implants to patients’ jawbones.
1965: Modern dental implants make their world debut! The process of implanting titanium in bone for the purpose of rooting prosthetic teeth begins.
1981: Branemark publishes a paper reporting all the data he had collected about titanium implants.
1982: The Toronto Conference on Osseointegration in Clinical Dentistry creates the first guidelines for successful implant dentistry.
2002: An ADA survey shows that oral and oral and maxillofacial surgeons, periodontists, and general dentists near double the number of implants performed per dentist between 1995 and 2002.
Today: Dental implants are the number one tooth replacement procedure.
Dr. Thomas Villani and Dr. Richard Kondrat will work together to consult with you and plan your implant procedure. Dr. Kondrat will complete and oversee the fabrication and placement of your implant prosthetic. After a short healing period, Dr. Villani will place the crown, bridge, or denture to complete your implant. For your convenience, the entire procedure can be performed at Brighton Dental Group, located in Brighton, Massachusetts, thus eliminating the need for you to go to multiple locations and doctors to get the smile you’ve been searching for.
Call Brighton Dental Group at (617) 562-5210 to reserve your consultation appointment.
